Real men also cry. Even when one of them is possibly the greatest player in tennis history, and has just equaled a 27 year old record held by another all-time great. So it was when Roger Federer won the All England Lawn Tennis Championship for the fifth consecutive year, beating his nemesis Rafael Nadal in a final that was complete paisa-vasool for tennis lovers.
(This post has been WIP for too long, for Fedex has since gone on to win the US Open against the precocious Djokovic, despite being decidedly less than his usual brilliant self).
It is not easy to write a dedication to Roger Federer, for whatever I say about him would have been said before, and better. Anyone with even a mild interest in tennis acknowledges that the Swiss does not need to equal or surpass any more records to prove that he is the greatest player ever in the game of tennis. For His Royal Highness Roger Federer’s claim to greatness is not his ability to break and create records at a breathtaking pace – it is that he has brought beauty and elegance to a game that had begun to be too strongly associated with bulging muscles and nerve wracking grunts. He glides on court like a ballerina from the Bolshoi and uses his tennis racket to orchestrate the most breathtaking shots that the game of tennis has seen in a long while, using his talent, intellect and intense concentration to unsettle even his strongest opponents. A lethally reliable serve and a tremendous repertoire of shots notwithstanding, what impresses me most about Federer is the manner in which he conserves and optimizes his energy, raising his game by several notches in the rare instances that he is behind.
Tennis was never a beautiful sport, but watching Federer play sometimes tempts one to draw comparisons with a Chopin composition, a Van Gogh painting or a Somerset Maugham character - quite simply, it moves you emotionally in a way that one would never associate with a rough game of sport.
So it does not come as a surprise when great tennis players, current and past, discuss him in reverential undertones and writers like David Foster Wallace write tomes on Roger Federer as a religious experience. "He just plays you, trying to make you play your worst and he plays his best. He matches up his strength to your weakness unbelievably," said Federer’s first round opponent at the US Open. If Federer continues the way he has, a DVD on Federer moments will soon become a must-have for tennis fans.
I had saved my ode to Roger Federer for the 2007 French Open. Watching the maestro play throughout the tournament, I was confident that this was the year of his Grand Slam. Yes, there was that little matter of disposing Rafa, two time champion and king of clay, but that could be taken care of. The official crown of The Best Player Ever beckoned Roger.
Unfortunately, the feisty Nadal cares a dime for reputation or greatness, and denied Federer that opportunity, stamping his authority over the World No 1 for the second successive time on clay.
So I told myself – going by the measure of records as a measure of greatness, Federer is not the greatest player in tennis, at least not yet. After all, when you contrive to lose a Grand Slam final in 4 sets despite being ahead and having several break points against your opponent, you still have some work left to do.
And then came Wimbledon – Nadal & Federer once again. Emperor versus a worthy pretender. Already, it appeared that Nadal was much more comfortable on grass than Federer was on clay. And then there was his youth, power and tenacity, not to forget that he is one of those rare players against whom Federer has lost more matches than he has won - this was indeed going to be a dream Wimbledon final.
True to form, the match did not disappoint. Both players played breathtaking tennis – sometimes winning a game at love and at other times clawing from behind to clinch a game, made some unexpected unforced errors, and came up with some near-impossible shots – battling each other with that rare hunger and tenacity that distinguishes the great from the good. Hawk Eye also played its role, with a rare outburst from the level headed champion. When Nadal won the second set, Commentator 1 said of Mika, Federer’s girlfriend: She looks nervous. “So does he (Roger Federer)”, quipped Commentator 2.
Two sets later, Commentator 1 of Mika: “She had some nails 2 hours ago”.
But after over four hours of breathtaking brilliance, HRH prevailed, palpably lifting his game in the final set to deny Nadal the opportunity of dethroning him. And in a telling demonstration of the tremendous respect that the world’s best two tennis players have for each other, Nadal embraced the champion at the net. Meanwhile, a particular sequence in the game stays with me. At one set all, Federer is serving to level the 3rd set 6-6 and take it to the tiebreaker, when an ace fired by him is challenged by Rafa – who has successfully challenged several Federer points before, much to the champion’s chagrin. Federer shakes his head in disbelief, as if to say - you dare challenge an ace fired by ME? The shot is called in, Federer wins the point, and backs it up with two unplayable serves to win the game. Just in case you missed the point – no one challenges Roger Federer.
But men’s tennis is changing. For a legion of youngsters – Djokovic, Murray, Baghdatis - are joining forces with Rafael Nadal to challenge the world number one’s complete domination of the game. The Emperor has mercilessly destroyed his opposition in the battles till now, but some say that he has hardly been challenged, except possibly by Nadal. So as the boys throw the gamut for the war ahead, will the ‘aging’ Federer succeed in stamping his superiority once again? If that is so, as most of us hope it will be, the best in men’s tennis is yet to come.
But as the competition draws closer, Federer appears to be in no mood to relinquish his crown. For as he said at the press conference after the US Open final upon being asked to compare Djokovic and Nadal – No 2 or No 3 does not matter, what matters is being Number 1.
From anyone else, that would be arrogance. Coming from Roger Federer, it’s simply confidence.
For now, a closing glimpse. At the post match Wimbledon press conference, the presenter asked Federer: 15-40 down twice in the second set, and you still won (the final)?
Well, you get lucky sometimes, he smiled.
Champions are also humble.
(This post has been WIP for too long, for Fedex has since gone on to win the US Open against the precocious Djokovic, despite being decidedly less than his usual brilliant self).
It is not easy to write a dedication to Roger Federer, for whatever I say about him would have been said before, and better. Anyone with even a mild interest in tennis acknowledges that the Swiss does not need to equal or surpass any more records to prove that he is the greatest player ever in the game of tennis. For His Royal Highness Roger Federer’s claim to greatness is not his ability to break and create records at a breathtaking pace – it is that he has brought beauty and elegance to a game that had begun to be too strongly associated with bulging muscles and nerve wracking grunts. He glides on court like a ballerina from the Bolshoi and uses his tennis racket to orchestrate the most breathtaking shots that the game of tennis has seen in a long while, using his talent, intellect and intense concentration to unsettle even his strongest opponents. A lethally reliable serve and a tremendous repertoire of shots notwithstanding, what impresses me most about Federer is the manner in which he conserves and optimizes his energy, raising his game by several notches in the rare instances that he is behind.
Tennis was never a beautiful sport, but watching Federer play sometimes tempts one to draw comparisons with a Chopin composition, a Van Gogh painting or a Somerset Maugham character - quite simply, it moves you emotionally in a way that one would never associate with a rough game of sport.
So it does not come as a surprise when great tennis players, current and past, discuss him in reverential undertones and writers like David Foster Wallace write tomes on Roger Federer as a religious experience. "He just plays you, trying to make you play your worst and he plays his best. He matches up his strength to your weakness unbelievably," said Federer’s first round opponent at the US Open. If Federer continues the way he has, a DVD on Federer moments will soon become a must-have for tennis fans.
I had saved my ode to Roger Federer for the 2007 French Open. Watching the maestro play throughout the tournament, I was confident that this was the year of his Grand Slam. Yes, there was that little matter of disposing Rafa, two time champion and king of clay, but that could be taken care of. The official crown of The Best Player Ever beckoned Roger.
Unfortunately, the feisty Nadal cares a dime for reputation or greatness, and denied Federer that opportunity, stamping his authority over the World No 1 for the second successive time on clay.
So I told myself – going by the measure of records as a measure of greatness, Federer is not the greatest player in tennis, at least not yet. After all, when you contrive to lose a Grand Slam final in 4 sets despite being ahead and having several break points against your opponent, you still have some work left to do.
And then came Wimbledon – Nadal & Federer once again. Emperor versus a worthy pretender. Already, it appeared that Nadal was much more comfortable on grass than Federer was on clay. And then there was his youth, power and tenacity, not to forget that he is one of those rare players against whom Federer has lost more matches than he has won - this was indeed going to be a dream Wimbledon final.
True to form, the match did not disappoint. Both players played breathtaking tennis – sometimes winning a game at love and at other times clawing from behind to clinch a game, made some unexpected unforced errors, and came up with some near-impossible shots – battling each other with that rare hunger and tenacity that distinguishes the great from the good. Hawk Eye also played its role, with a rare outburst from the level headed champion. When Nadal won the second set, Commentator 1 said of Mika, Federer’s girlfriend: She looks nervous. “So does he (Roger Federer)”, quipped Commentator 2.
Two sets later, Commentator 1 of Mika: “She had some nails 2 hours ago”.
But after over four hours of breathtaking brilliance, HRH prevailed, palpably lifting his game in the final set to deny Nadal the opportunity of dethroning him. And in a telling demonstration of the tremendous respect that the world’s best two tennis players have for each other, Nadal embraced the champion at the net. Meanwhile, a particular sequence in the game stays with me. At one set all, Federer is serving to level the 3rd set 6-6 and take it to the tiebreaker, when an ace fired by him is challenged by Rafa – who has successfully challenged several Federer points before, much to the champion’s chagrin. Federer shakes his head in disbelief, as if to say - you dare challenge an ace fired by ME? The shot is called in, Federer wins the point, and backs it up with two unplayable serves to win the game. Just in case you missed the point – no one challenges Roger Federer.
But men’s tennis is changing. For a legion of youngsters – Djokovic, Murray, Baghdatis - are joining forces with Rafael Nadal to challenge the world number one’s complete domination of the game. The Emperor has mercilessly destroyed his opposition in the battles till now, but some say that he has hardly been challenged, except possibly by Nadal. So as the boys throw the gamut for the war ahead, will the ‘aging’ Federer succeed in stamping his superiority once again? If that is so, as most of us hope it will be, the best in men’s tennis is yet to come.
But as the competition draws closer, Federer appears to be in no mood to relinquish his crown. For as he said at the press conference after the US Open final upon being asked to compare Djokovic and Nadal – No 2 or No 3 does not matter, what matters is being Number 1.
From anyone else, that would be arrogance. Coming from Roger Federer, it’s simply confidence.
For now, a closing glimpse. At the post match Wimbledon press conference, the presenter asked Federer: 15-40 down twice in the second set, and you still won (the final)?
Well, you get lucky sometimes, he smiled.
Champions are also humble.
