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September 13, 2004
Let Federer's Americanization begin!
U.S. Open champion has become star most in demand
By Howard Fendrich, Associated Press
NEW
YORK - Roger Federer played pingpong with Regis Philbin. He met Tony
Danza, who told Federer he makes it look easy on the court; Federer
informed Danza that “Who’s the Boss?” was huge in Switzerland. He was
interviewed by Charlie Rose and John McEnroe. And then it was off to
Los Angeles, where a Vogue photo shoot awaits. The
Americanization of Roger Federer began Monday, his first full day as
the U.S. Open champion and the only man since 1988 to win three Grand
Slam titles in a year. The globalization of
Federer — the person and the tennis player — was completed long ago, of
course. With big forehands, tough-to-read serves, on-the-run lobs,
can’t-possibly-get drop shots, improving volleys, etc., etc., etc.,
Federer does it all. He can outslug you from the baseline, outquick you
at the net and simply outwit you. Federer
made Lleyton Hewitt look like a weekend hacker in the first and final
sets of a 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0 victory Sunday at the U.S. Open, the first
time in 120 years that the tournament’s final featured two sets at
love. And, it turns out, Federer did it all with a head cold. What
does he think when he hears so many people describe his play as
beautiful, a sort of artistry that’s a wonderful contrast to the
hit-as-hard-as-you-can school of tennis gaining in popularity over the
years? “I don’t want to be cocky or
anything, but I feel the same, in a way. I know I’m playing nice
tennis,” Federer said. “It’s very simple. I know there is no extra
movement in my technique that makes me look strange. Movement and
technique have to fit together. I found the right balance, and that’s
what gives me all this praise.” His game is
as varied and fluent as his language skills: In a span of 10 minutes
Monday, he went from speaking English with a dozen print reporters to
doing a standup TV interview in Swiss German to doing a radio interview
over a cell phone in French. Yet as much of
a star as he is around Europe, Federer is still trying to grab a place
in the public consciousness over here. On Monday, he walked into the
Hard Rock Cafe in midtown Manhattan carrying a 7-pound silver trophy —
and not one customer batted an eye, much less asked for an autograph or
a picture with him. “The more places I go,
the more I’m a celebrity. This will only increase by me winning the
U.S. Open,” Federer said. “For me now, in the States, I don’t really
have a clue what’s going to happen.” Some
have suggested that he won’t match Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand
Slam titles — Federer is 4-for-4 in major finals, a first in the Open
era — because the hunger won’t last or distractions will mount. But
Federer is not the typical pro athlete. He travels with his girlfriend,
his physical trainer and a pal. No coach. No agent. No PR manager. No
entourage filled with hangers-on. And he
already knows that a simple chuckle is the best way to deal with the
sorts of questions that will be coming: Can you complete a Grand Slam?
Can you catch Pistol Pete? Are you the greatest ever? “It’s
going to take some time to let it sink in and really realize what I
achieved. When people started talking about four out of four at the
beginning of the year — Grand Slam titles — I was laughing inside,
going, ’You guys are insane,”’ Federer said. “Now
that I’ve won three out of four, I know that I’ve done something
unbelievable. Like Lleyton said yesterday, the other players know that,
too, with the depth of the men’s game right now.” The
men’s and women’s games appear to be going in opposite directions.
Federer’s Wimbledon-U.S. Open double ended a streak of 18 majors in
which no player won back-to-back titles, the longest such drought in
more than 35 years. He might very well have put an emphatic end to the parity, going 64-6 in 2004 with nine titles. Four
women divided this year’s majors — Justine Henin-Hardenne, Anastasia
Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova — and a fifth, Amelie
Mauresmo, is ranked No. 1 as of Monday. The depth in women’s tennis is
such that Serena Williams is ranked 10th, Venus Williams is 12th, and
the last two Slams were won by players seeded 13th (Sharapova at
Wimbledon) and ninth (Kuznetsova at the U.S. Open). It
wasn’t long ago that Federer was the Phil Mickelson of tennis (back
when the pre-green jacket Mickelson was still the Phil Mickelson of
golf): the best player never to win a major. In his first 16 Slams,
Federer had three times as many first-round exits (six) as quarterfinal
appearances (two). His last opening-match major loss was in May 2003. “So
many things have a changed in a little bit over a year, if you look
back. After the French Open — I lost in the first round — I was sitting
in the press room trying to explain why and trying to tell the people
to relax a little bit and not put too much pressure on myself,” Federer
recalled. “Here were are, six Grand Slams
later, and I have four of them. Now suddenly I will be ’the greatest
player ever.’ It’s quite a contrast.”
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