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August 31, 2005
A virtuoso like Federer deserves more respect
By Johnette Howard, Newsday
He is the defending champion of this tournament,
the No. 1 player in the world, a man who, at 24 years old, is already
touted as the best tennis player ever. That's all Roger Federer of
Switzerland has going for him. And yet, Federer was asked to haul his
bones out to center court yesterday to make his tournament debut at the
definitely not-ready-for-prime-time hour of 11 a.m. The stadium was
barely half full. Cars were still filing into the parking lots.
"I was little bit surprised," Federer admitted, though only when pressed. "I don't play much in the morning anymore."
A bigger egoist would have had a snit. Federer is the best
European-born player to rise to No. 1 since Bjorn Borg, and yet
whenever he comes to New York, he has to hear questions again and again
about whether fans (read: Americans) will ever embrace a non-American
tennis king like him. People say it as if class doesn't transcend
borders. Or being appreciated for your ability depends on where you're
from.
The suggestion is a lousy one, and yet it has become one of those
bromides about tennis that's mindlessly repeated without being sternly
challenged. The idea persists, even though what it insinuates is
Americans are so jingoistic or shallow minded, we only can appreciate
other Americans, not the likes of a Federer or a Borg, a Becker or a
Graf. Well, says who?
"It's such parochial thinking," U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said.
The yearning for American stars might be a reality for the folks who
run TV, but it shouldn't sway the rest of us tennis fans who appreciate
Federer for the marvel that he is, or sports fans in general, most of
whom aren't accused of applying the same All-American standards to
other sports.
Being a soft-spoken Canadian didn't prevent Wayne Gretzky from being an
American sports hero. And there are many other examples. Well, Federer
is tennis' equivalent of Gretzky. He's a magician with his racket, and
a champion who oozes imagination, grace and smarts (he is fluent in
five languages). As McEnroe pointed out yesterday, Federer has the
beautiful, all-around game that explodes the damning but too often true
complaint that men's tennis is boring because it's become all about the
serve.
"Well, here's a guy who can hit every shot, a guy who understands and
exploits the geometry of the game," McEnroe said. "And I hope people
appreciate the way he's changed it. I hope they recognize what kind of
guy he is, too. You look at the women's game now and, please. The women
are all out for themselves. Roger cares about himself and he cares
about the game. He's embraced the responsibility of being No. 1."
Federer's ability is so far above everyone else on tour, watching him
dismiss Czech opponent Ivo Minar, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, yesterday was almost a
wincing experience. The dissection was artful, all right. But the
yawning gap between them was almost cruel.
If Federer were a differently constructed person, he might have come
into the press room after that, huffing about his scheduling like other
superstars, everyone from John McEnroe to Boris Becker to Martina
Navratilova, have before him. Back in 1987, even nice-guy Swedes Stefan
Edberg and Mats Wilander were so upset about having to play their Open
semifinal at 11 a.m., they refused to take the court on time just to
make the TV networks squirm.
If Federer felt similarly disrespected yesterday, he took it in stride.
He's different, all right. And that's the best thing about him.
"Being outrageous, trying to get attention, he won't play that game," Patrick McEnroe said.
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