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Issue date: October 4, 2004
Inside Tennis: Racket Boss
For his dominance of the men's field and for the virtuosity of his game, Roger Federer
is SI's Player of the Year
By L. Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
Gustavo Kuerten is unlikely to recall this year fondly, hovering as he
is on the fringes of the top 30. But the former world No. 1 from Brazil
did pull off a feat that no other player achieved in 2004: He beat
Roger Federer in a Grand Slam tournament. Were it not for that result
in the third round of the French Open, Federer might well have won the
Grand Slam -- tennis's equivalent of batting .400 -- something that no
male player has done since Rod Laver in 1969. As it stands, Federer
turned in the most dominating season since John McEnroe went 82-3 and
won two majors 20 years ago.
There were abundant tennis highlights in 2004. The Russian
Revolution turned into the Russian Occupation as former Soviettes won
three of the four Grand Slam singles titles for women and currently
fill six of the top 13 WTA rankings. Andre Agassi, at an age (34) when
other players are gearing up for the seniors tour, still played deep
into big-time events. Andy Roddick set and reset serving-speed records,
inaugurating some points with lasers exceeding 150 mph, and helped lead
the U.S. to the Davis Cup final. But ultimately all this was mere
background music to Federer's virtuoso performance. Here it is early
autumn, and already we can declare Federer our player of the year. By a
landslide. "I don't like to come across as cocky," he says, "but it's
been a very satisfying year. I still can't believe everything I've
done."
Federer plays tennis for the soul, with artistry and style. But his
excellence is also expressed in cold, rational numbers. Through Monday
his 2004 match record was 64-6, and he had locked up the year-end No. 1
ranking. He won all nine tournament finals in which he appeared. As
proof of his versatility, he won more than one title on every major
surface. Plus, his rivalries with other stars were like the rivalries
that chain saws have with trees: Federer won his last 17 matches
against players ranked in the Top 10.
For all of his manifold talents, the key to Federer's success might be
his movement. With uncanny anticipation and a few graceful strides,
Federer not only retrieves the most difficult shots but also returns
them with force and precision. If Willie Mays's glove was where triples
went to die, Federer's racket is where opponents' winners go to become
setups. "It's so hard to get him out of position," says world No. 3
Lleyton Hewitt, whom Federer pasted in the U.S. Open final last month.
"He just doesn't give you any easy points."
Were Federer from Milwaukee or Scranton or Fresno (not Basel,
Switzerland), he would occupy a penthouse suite in the American sports
pantheon. Even so, his profile in the U.S. is rising. His days of going
unnoticed at airports and hotels have, he laments, passed. His appeal
is so broad that in the course of a few days recently, he accepted
dinner invitations from Kirk Douglas, James Lipton and Wolfgang Puck.
"I'm not doing this to be famous," he says, "but anytime people tell
you they appreciate your work, it makes you feel good."
Given that Federer just turned 23 -- the age at which most male players
enter their prime -- and that his game is essentially weakness-free,
the tennis cognoscenti are within their rights to wonder whether he
will someday win the mythical title Best Ever. Laver, for one, thinks
it's a distinct possibility. "He has all the ingredients," Laver says.
"With the way he plays under pressure, he has every chance of real
greatness."
For now, be sure of this: Another year like his banner 2004, and the Fed will continue raising interest rates.
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