(Image courtesy: New Indian Express)L Suresh sets up a Federer Bureau of Investigation to find out what makes the greatest tennis star on earth tick.
MAD comics once spoofed Rambo, as seen through the eyes of two old men who are commenting on Rambo taking on the Afghan army with a catapult in his hand. "How unfair!" one of them remarks, "One man against a whole army!" The next frame shows Rambo running towards the army, with one hand tied behind his back. Tennis players the world over would hope the reigning World No. 1 would do something similar to make matches more evenly contested - and give them a chance, a hope that they can at least pick a set off him, if not a match.
Another tournament - the Australian Open - has gone by and a whole bunch of beaten players are picking themselves up, shaking their heads to clear that one disturbing thought - why does everything Swiss have to be so perfect?
His first name is an indication of what he does to his opponents. His surname has an official ring to it, a stamp of authority, a law in itself that no one dare dispute. To Roger Federer, winning matches and tournaments had long become passé. Tennis was about breaking records set by past greats and setting new ones. But who would believe that life was not always about the limelight and star dust for Federer? It’s equally hard to comprehend the fact that F-e-d-e-r-e-r had to wait for five long, agonizing years to reach the final of a Grand Slam after he turned pro! Three first round eliminations in the French Open and likewise at Wimbledon in these five years, and Federer was talking of things that today get attributed to his opponents - loss of confidence, low energy levels and the downhill slide.
One remembers the story of yet another champ – a fighter from another game - a young man who stormed into world cricket in the mid 80s, carrying with him the promise of plenty - oodles of skill, tons of determination and of course, the flair that he exhibited on the field. Sadly enough, he couldn’t sustain the spark that he showed during his early days. But some visionary in the Aussie think-tank wisely decided to let him be and gave him time, of which the young man took plenty, making his first test hundred after 48 innings and his first one day hundred after 186 matches. But Stephen Rodger Waugh responded to the faith shown in him by the selectors and the board by winning everything that was there to be won, and went on to become one of Australia’s most successful captains, having a dream run of 15 consecutive test wins.
Federer’s story was rather similar. The journey downhill stopped in 2003 and took a dramatic u-turn. That was when he won the first finals he entered in 2003 - Wimbledon. The combination of purple and green proved to be too strong for the Swiss as he kept coming back, winning the title four times in a row. Even as he won his third Wimbledon in 2005, the record books made space to include fresh entries for the future and bookies went a step further by putting their monies on Federer winning three more titles to go one up on Borg's five-in-a-row record. Without further ado, Federer won the 2006 Wimbledon as well, getting one step closer to the milestone. One could visualize him sitting quietly by a beach, wondering what exactly Lendl must have meant when he said that grass was for the cows.
While 2003 saw him conquer grass, 2004 saw him take on other surfaces as well. It would be a year when he would shift gears noiselessly and shock the world with his run of success. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, ending the year right on top as World No. 1. Since Mats Wilander had already done it in 1988, Federer decided to make it two times better and repeated the feat in 2006, thus becoming the only player in the Open Era to have done the deed twice. He also became the only player to win the Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year for three years in succession, between 2004 and 2006.
2007 was another year where it was ‘business as usual’ for Federer, with the Australian Open trophy being added to his crowded trophy shelf. One was at a loss trying to figure out what made players wilt - extreme heat or the intensity of Federer as he breezed through the competition without losing a single set, a first in 27 years since Bjorn Borg in the 1980 French Open. While Fernando Gonzalez weathered big names like Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Rafael Nadal and Tommy Haas on his way to the finals, he ran into a wall before he could run out of steam - the final match up was against superman himself and before Gonzalez could figure out if it was a bird or a plane or a superhero who had exchanged his cape for a headband, he was down and out.
As far as Federer was concerned, the tournament win was just the means to the end - he had his own records to achieve. He became the only player to win three different Grand Slam tournaments thrice. The records piled up as he became the undisputed champion of the Open era. And before this month ends, he's breaking another - a long-standing Jimmy Connors record of being right at the top for the most number of consecutive weeks. While Connors ended his streak at 160 weeks, Federer will make his 161 and take it from there.
Tennis has had so many fascinating characters that have dominated the game - decade after decade - that you would think that a new entrant will have no option but to take after one of them. And yet, Federer left behind the mercurial McEnroe, the charismatic Borg, the flashy Yannick Noah, the ever-popular Connors, the coldly efficient Lendl, an almost-boring Sampras, the crowd-favourite Agassi and the booming Becker to bring to the world traits that that were not quite human – the tennis court was his telephone booth where he would enter and emerge a superhero.
Connors-Borg, Borg-McEnroe, Wilander-Lendl, Becker-Edberg, Sampras-Agassi… The biggest and best tennis stars have always hunted in pairs - no expedition was complete without the two hounding each other from either sides of the net. And with the first toss of the ball, they would morph into Sherlock Holmes - Moriarty, Batman-Joker or white spy-black spy and let loose cannon shots at each other. This went on for decades, until one fine day, one side of the net went silent. From then on, only one man has been holding court. For those who remember the McEnroe era when an aging Connors or a wet-behind-the-ears Chris Lewis couldn't offer the least resistance to a marauder on the rampage, it all came back, like Wes Craven's nightmare. And the man causing all this turbulence was Roger Federer.
Most tennis stars have had to fight form, fight opponents, fight pressure and fight their own nerves when they reach the big stage. But how does one fight an aura, a demonic image of a man who no longer hails from a country or a continent, but from a 'planet'? Before he turned 25, Federer had usurped the title of ‘the greatest ever’, leaving scribes scratching their heads as they frantically looked for more superlatives - and wisely so, because they knew that he had just begun and possibly had another decade to go.
Just as Superman has an alter ego, Federer has one as well - that of an emotional, warm-hearted young man who empathizes with the plight of young kids halfway across the planet and sets out to do something for them as a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF. One such mission brought him to the ravaged areas of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, where he brought cheer to the lives of many - especially kids - who had lost their parents and their childhood to the killer waves. The newspapers splashed pictures of him with a cricket bat, playing with wide-eyed kids. Somehow, an image of Federer playing cricket doesn't look ludicrous. You would think that a man who can be so good in a game can't do too badly in another!
The non-spandex suited side of Federer has had the honour of lending his persona and his name to a good Samaritan bear too, thus finding his way into the lives of millions of kids as Feder-bear, a cuddly bear with a neon blue t-shirt, a tennis racquet and a sporty headband to match - all of Federer's trademark accessories. Of course, keeping in line with the changing times, this is a bear with a blog that describes its adventures around the world! And like its original - the man himself - Feder-Bear also plays for kids through the ACE (Assisting Kids Everywhere) program whereby you buy a Feder-Bear for $8, out of which $5 go to ACE. Feder-Bear is also as sportive as Federer, for in its blog, you would find it describing ACE as 'something that Andy Roddick hits a lot'!
So the year's first Grand Slam is over and won. There will now be a drought for the next four months until the next big one comes up at the Roland Garros. Now that is one Grand Slam that will have the world sit up and watch keenly - it has been the only big one that has eluded Federer and the only Grand Slam event where he entered the finals and did not win. Chances are, he will win this year, and the only questions that remain are, will he conquer Laver territory by winning all four Grand Slams in a year? Will he rub shoulders with Borg and Laver in their 11 Grand Slam Winners Club?
One hears of new-age tennis racquets being made of material like carbon fiber and titanium. If the other players want to change the script for 2007, perhaps they should encourage racquet manufacturers to use the only known element that might just make Federer human - kryptonite.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
What's common to Yannick Noah, Rod Laver, Mats Wilander and John McEnroe, besides their numerous Grand Slam wins? Their views on Roger Federer.
"You feel he is on gear four at the maximum while he has six gears. It's awesome."
MAD comics once spoofed Rambo, as seen through the eyes of two old men who are commenting on Rambo taking on the Afghan army with a catapult in his hand. "How unfair!" one of them remarks, "One man against a whole army!" The next frame shows Rambo running towards the army, with one hand tied behind his back. Tennis players the world over would hope the reigning World No. 1 would do something similar to make matches more evenly contested - and give them a chance, a hope that they can at least pick a set off him, if not a match.
Another tournament - the Australian Open - has gone by and a whole bunch of beaten players are picking themselves up, shaking their heads to clear that one disturbing thought - why does everything Swiss have to be so perfect?
His first name is an indication of what he does to his opponents. His surname has an official ring to it, a stamp of authority, a law in itself that no one dare dispute. To Roger Federer, winning matches and tournaments had long become passé. Tennis was about breaking records set by past greats and setting new ones. But who would believe that life was not always about the limelight and star dust for Federer? It’s equally hard to comprehend the fact that F-e-d-e-r-e-r had to wait for five long, agonizing years to reach the final of a Grand Slam after he turned pro! Three first round eliminations in the French Open and likewise at Wimbledon in these five years, and Federer was talking of things that today get attributed to his opponents - loss of confidence, low energy levels and the downhill slide.
One remembers the story of yet another champ – a fighter from another game - a young man who stormed into world cricket in the mid 80s, carrying with him the promise of plenty - oodles of skill, tons of determination and of course, the flair that he exhibited on the field. Sadly enough, he couldn’t sustain the spark that he showed during his early days. But some visionary in the Aussie think-tank wisely decided to let him be and gave him time, of which the young man took plenty, making his first test hundred after 48 innings and his first one day hundred after 186 matches. But Stephen Rodger Waugh responded to the faith shown in him by the selectors and the board by winning everything that was there to be won, and went on to become one of Australia’s most successful captains, having a dream run of 15 consecutive test wins.
Federer’s story was rather similar. The journey downhill stopped in 2003 and took a dramatic u-turn. That was when he won the first finals he entered in 2003 - Wimbledon. The combination of purple and green proved to be too strong for the Swiss as he kept coming back, winning the title four times in a row. Even as he won his third Wimbledon in 2005, the record books made space to include fresh entries for the future and bookies went a step further by putting their monies on Federer winning three more titles to go one up on Borg's five-in-a-row record. Without further ado, Federer won the 2006 Wimbledon as well, getting one step closer to the milestone. One could visualize him sitting quietly by a beach, wondering what exactly Lendl must have meant when he said that grass was for the cows.
While 2003 saw him conquer grass, 2004 saw him take on other surfaces as well. It would be a year when he would shift gears noiselessly and shock the world with his run of success. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, ending the year right on top as World No. 1. Since Mats Wilander had already done it in 1988, Federer decided to make it two times better and repeated the feat in 2006, thus becoming the only player in the Open Era to have done the deed twice. He also became the only player to win the Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year for three years in succession, between 2004 and 2006.
2007 was another year where it was ‘business as usual’ for Federer, with the Australian Open trophy being added to his crowded trophy shelf. One was at a loss trying to figure out what made players wilt - extreme heat or the intensity of Federer as he breezed through the competition without losing a single set, a first in 27 years since Bjorn Borg in the 1980 French Open. While Fernando Gonzalez weathered big names like Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Rafael Nadal and Tommy Haas on his way to the finals, he ran into a wall before he could run out of steam - the final match up was against superman himself and before Gonzalez could figure out if it was a bird or a plane or a superhero who had exchanged his cape for a headband, he was down and out.
As far as Federer was concerned, the tournament win was just the means to the end - he had his own records to achieve. He became the only player to win three different Grand Slam tournaments thrice. The records piled up as he became the undisputed champion of the Open era. And before this month ends, he's breaking another - a long-standing Jimmy Connors record of being right at the top for the most number of consecutive weeks. While Connors ended his streak at 160 weeks, Federer will make his 161 and take it from there.
Tennis has had so many fascinating characters that have dominated the game - decade after decade - that you would think that a new entrant will have no option but to take after one of them. And yet, Federer left behind the mercurial McEnroe, the charismatic Borg, the flashy Yannick Noah, the ever-popular Connors, the coldly efficient Lendl, an almost-boring Sampras, the crowd-favourite Agassi and the booming Becker to bring to the world traits that that were not quite human – the tennis court was his telephone booth where he would enter and emerge a superhero.
Connors-Borg, Borg-McEnroe, Wilander-Lendl, Becker-Edberg, Sampras-Agassi… The biggest and best tennis stars have always hunted in pairs - no expedition was complete without the two hounding each other from either sides of the net. And with the first toss of the ball, they would morph into Sherlock Holmes - Moriarty, Batman-Joker or white spy-black spy and let loose cannon shots at each other. This went on for decades, until one fine day, one side of the net went silent. From then on, only one man has been holding court. For those who remember the McEnroe era when an aging Connors or a wet-behind-the-ears Chris Lewis couldn't offer the least resistance to a marauder on the rampage, it all came back, like Wes Craven's nightmare. And the man causing all this turbulence was Roger Federer.
Most tennis stars have had to fight form, fight opponents, fight pressure and fight their own nerves when they reach the big stage. But how does one fight an aura, a demonic image of a man who no longer hails from a country or a continent, but from a 'planet'? Before he turned 25, Federer had usurped the title of ‘the greatest ever’, leaving scribes scratching their heads as they frantically looked for more superlatives - and wisely so, because they knew that he had just begun and possibly had another decade to go.
Just as Superman has an alter ego, Federer has one as well - that of an emotional, warm-hearted young man who empathizes with the plight of young kids halfway across the planet and sets out to do something for them as a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF. One such mission brought him to the ravaged areas of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, where he brought cheer to the lives of many - especially kids - who had lost their parents and their childhood to the killer waves. The newspapers splashed pictures of him with a cricket bat, playing with wide-eyed kids. Somehow, an image of Federer playing cricket doesn't look ludicrous. You would think that a man who can be so good in a game can't do too badly in another!
The non-spandex suited side of Federer has had the honour of lending his persona and his name to a good Samaritan bear too, thus finding his way into the lives of millions of kids as Feder-bear, a cuddly bear with a neon blue t-shirt, a tennis racquet and a sporty headband to match - all of Federer's trademark accessories. Of course, keeping in line with the changing times, this is a bear with a blog that describes its adventures around the world! And like its original - the man himself - Feder-Bear also plays for kids through the ACE (Assisting Kids Everywhere) program whereby you buy a Feder-Bear for $8, out of which $5 go to ACE. Feder-Bear is also as sportive as Federer, for in its blog, you would find it describing ACE as 'something that Andy Roddick hits a lot'!
So the year's first Grand Slam is over and won. There will now be a drought for the next four months until the next big one comes up at the Roland Garros. Now that is one Grand Slam that will have the world sit up and watch keenly - it has been the only big one that has eluded Federer and the only Grand Slam event where he entered the finals and did not win. Chances are, he will win this year, and the only questions that remain are, will he conquer Laver territory by winning all four Grand Slams in a year? Will he rub shoulders with Borg and Laver in their 11 Grand Slam Winners Club?
One hears of new-age tennis racquets being made of material like carbon fiber and titanium. If the other players want to change the script for 2007, perhaps they should encourage racquet manufacturers to use the only known element that might just make Federer human - kryptonite.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
What's common to Yannick Noah, Rod Laver, Mats Wilander and John McEnroe, besides their numerous Grand Slam wins? Their views on Roger Federer.
"You feel he is on gear four at the maximum while he has six gears. It's awesome."
Yannick Noah
"I would be honoured to even be compared with Roger."
Rod Laver
"I'd like to be in his shoes for one day to know what it feels like to play that way."
"I would be honoured to even be compared with Roger."
Rod Laver
"I'd like to be in his shoes for one day to know what it feels like to play that way."
Mats Wilander
"He's the most gifted player that I've ever seen in my life."
John McEnroe
(Appeared in the New Indian Express Sunday Supplement on 11 February, 2007)
"He's the most gifted player that I've ever seen in my life."
John McEnroe
(Appeared in the New Indian Express Sunday Supplement on 11 February, 2007)
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