My Favourite Player IV: Roger Federer
Tags roger federer, tennis
Initially when I started this series I only intended to cover cricketers, but the Australian Open has put me in a tennis sort of mood, and who better to cover than the man who is probably my favourite sportsperson of all time, Roger Federer, the Swiss Maestro.
Having made the final the previous three years at the French Open, Federer finally completed his career Grand Slam in 2009, beating Robin Soderling in the final.
To put it simply, Roger Federer is the complete tennis player. This is a man who is possessed of a forehand labelled "The greatest shot in tennis" by John McEnroe, and an often dazzingly stylish one-handed backhand. He can volley, delivers an often unreadable serve, and while watching him move around the tennis court, his footwork is so sublime you could be forgiven for thinking he glides.
But despite his complete game and numerous records, one of the reasons Federer is such a champion is that he seems so grounded.
Modern players like Nadal and Djokovic, and even past players like McEnroe and Agassi, have always tended to polarise public opinion; you either love them or you hate them. Yet where hate is the strongest of strong words, to even say you dislike Roger Federer seems almost sacrilegious because you can't seem but to like the bloke.
As far as records in tennis go, there is very few that Roger Federer finds unattainable, or does not hold. This is a man who, since breaking through and winning his first Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 2003, has won a total of 16 Grand Slam events (a world record), doing so with an unparalleled sense of professionalism. He's completed the career Grand Slam (winning each of the four Grand Slam events at some point during his career), was ranked world number 1 for 237 consecutive weeks between February 2004 and August 2008, is the sport's highest money earner ever, has won a total of 62 career titles, and overall has won 81% of his singles matches over his career.
But of all his career records, there are a couple that stand out and highlight his greatness not only because of the amount of wins, but because of his incredible consistency. As of this year's Australian Open, Federer had qualified for the semi-finals in 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, stretching back as far as Wimbledon 2004. This is, of course, a record, but even more amazing is the fact that from Wimbledon 2005, Federer only failed to make the final one time, at the Australian Open in 2008.
Federer at Wimbledon after winning one of his (to date) 6 titles at the most hallowed of events
Not only do Federer's records speak volumes about the Swiss champions amazing ability, the accolades and admiration he has received from peers, commentators, and past legends throughout his career is testament to how well respected Federer is in the tennis community.
Former American champion Jimmy Connors highlighted Federer's versatility when he famously quoted "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist... or you're Roger Federer", while other former champions including Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, and Mats Wilander have all lavished praise on the Swiss Maestro.
But perhaps the most satisfying praise for Federer came from the two time winner of the Grand Slam (winning all four major tournaments in the same year), and a man widely considered to be either the greatest or second-greatest player in the history of tennis (depending on where you would place Federer), Rod Laver. Laver said "Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body. It's hardly fair that one person can do all this—his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position. The way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground. That's the sign of a great champion."
Federer's famous forehand is the envy of current and past players alike
One of the more famous hypotheticals thrown around from time to time is the question of who, of any person in history, you would invite to a dinner party.
For me, Roger Federer runs a close second behind former South African President Nelson Mandela. Mandela is invited because of the tremendous things he has done for humanity, Don Bradman would probably be invited because of his supreme cricketing ability and unparalleled cricketing brain, but Federer would be invited because apart from being one of the greatest tennis players to have walked this earth, he seems like a genuinely wonderful man.
In an era of big serves and hard hitting, Federer displays a certain amount of craft and style in his game. In a time when top-level sports stars marry gorgeous supermodels and drive fast cars, and even at the top prove susceptible to temptation and dramatic falls from grace (read Tiger Woods late last year), Federer remains a modest man and a consummate professional. When many public displays of emotion so often seem contrived and forced, and every move of a high-profile celebrity is analysed to within an inch of it's life, you cannot help but believe the raw outpouring of emotion you see from Roger Federer every time he wins a Grand Slam tournament.
These are the reasons Roger Federer is my favourite sportsperson.
I leave you, as usual, with a YouTube clip. This may not show all of Federer's talents, but it certainly allows us to glimpse his genius. Enjoy.
YouTube- Incredible!!! Roger Federer Between the Legs Shot at the U.S. Open v. Novak Djokovic 2009
Having made the final the previous three years at the French Open, Federer finally completed his career Grand Slam in 2009, beating Robin Soderling in the final.
To put it simply, Roger Federer is the complete tennis player. This is a man who is possessed of a forehand labelled "The greatest shot in tennis" by John McEnroe, and an often dazzingly stylish one-handed backhand. He can volley, delivers an often unreadable serve, and while watching him move around the tennis court, his footwork is so sublime you could be forgiven for thinking he glides.
But despite his complete game and numerous records, one of the reasons Federer is such a champion is that he seems so grounded.
Modern players like Nadal and Djokovic, and even past players like McEnroe and Agassi, have always tended to polarise public opinion; you either love them or you hate them. Yet where hate is the strongest of strong words, to even say you dislike Roger Federer seems almost sacrilegious because you can't seem but to like the bloke.
As far as records in tennis go, there is very few that Roger Federer finds unattainable, or does not hold. This is a man who, since breaking through and winning his first Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 2003, has won a total of 16 Grand Slam events (a world record), doing so with an unparalleled sense of professionalism. He's completed the career Grand Slam (winning each of the four Grand Slam events at some point during his career), was ranked world number 1 for 237 consecutive weeks between February 2004 and August 2008, is the sport's highest money earner ever, has won a total of 62 career titles, and overall has won 81% of his singles matches over his career.
But of all his career records, there are a couple that stand out and highlight his greatness not only because of the amount of wins, but because of his incredible consistency. As of this year's Australian Open, Federer had qualified for the semi-finals in 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, stretching back as far as Wimbledon 2004. This is, of course, a record, but even more amazing is the fact that from Wimbledon 2005, Federer only failed to make the final one time, at the Australian Open in 2008.
Federer at Wimbledon after winning one of his (to date) 6 titles at the most hallowed of events
Not only do Federer's records speak volumes about the Swiss champions amazing ability, the accolades and admiration he has received from peers, commentators, and past legends throughout his career is testament to how well respected Federer is in the tennis community.
Former American champion Jimmy Connors highlighted Federer's versatility when he famously quoted "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist... or you're Roger Federer", while other former champions including Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, and Mats Wilander have all lavished praise on the Swiss Maestro.
But perhaps the most satisfying praise for Federer came from the two time winner of the Grand Slam (winning all four major tournaments in the same year), and a man widely considered to be either the greatest or second-greatest player in the history of tennis (depending on where you would place Federer), Rod Laver. Laver said "Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body. It's hardly fair that one person can do all this—his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position. The way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground. That's the sign of a great champion."
Federer's famous forehand is the envy of current and past players alike
One of the more famous hypotheticals thrown around from time to time is the question of who, of any person in history, you would invite to a dinner party.
For me, Roger Federer runs a close second behind former South African President Nelson Mandela. Mandela is invited because of the tremendous things he has done for humanity, Don Bradman would probably be invited because of his supreme cricketing ability and unparalleled cricketing brain, but Federer would be invited because apart from being one of the greatest tennis players to have walked this earth, he seems like a genuinely wonderful man.
In an era of big serves and hard hitting, Federer displays a certain amount of craft and style in his game. In a time when top-level sports stars marry gorgeous supermodels and drive fast cars, and even at the top prove susceptible to temptation and dramatic falls from grace (read Tiger Woods late last year), Federer remains a modest man and a consummate professional. When many public displays of emotion so often seem contrived and forced, and every move of a high-profile celebrity is analysed to within an inch of it's life, you cannot help but believe the raw outpouring of emotion you see from Roger Federer every time he wins a Grand Slam tournament.
These are the reasons Roger Federer is my favourite sportsperson.
I leave you, as usual, with a YouTube clip. This may not show all of Federer's talents, but it certainly allows us to glimpse his genius. Enjoy.
YouTube- Incredible!!! Roger Federer Between the Legs Shot at the U.S. Open v. Novak Djokovic 2009
hee rocks hes awesome
