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October 25, 2006
Federer Is First Rate
By Paul E. Farrow, Tennis Week
The
sports world has witnessed the rise of several elite athletes and the
fall of many world records in recent years. Tiger Woods in golf, Peyton
Manning in football and Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France. Tennis
is no exception.
In
his eighth year as a professional tennis player, Roger Federer is only
the second man in the Open Era to reach the finals of all four Grand
Slam tournaments in the same year.
The last man
to do that was Hall of Famer Rod Laver, who swept the Grand Slam in
1962 and 1969 — a full 13 years before Federer was born. In winning his
ninth major in his 30th Grand Slam tournament appearance at the U.S.
Open in September, Federer is second-fastest to that mark: Bjorn Borg
won his ninth in 22 Grand Slam tournaments, while Pete Sampras required
31 Grand Slam tournament appearances to claim his ninth major title.
Federer trails only the 14-time Grand Slam champion Sampras, Roy
Emerson (12 majors), Borg and Rod Laver (11 majors each) and Big Bill
Tilden (10 majors) on the all-time Grand Slam leader list and barring
injury he should continue his rise next year.
"It's nice; I
don't want to stop here," Federer said. "I remember being in great
company, like when I reached six and then seven and eight, the same.
There's always such a great players on that level. Now I'm left alone
at nine. So it feels a bit strange, obviously, because I'm still going.
It's been a fantastic season. Winning three Slams is unbelievable;
something I've done in '04, but I was in the finals of the French so
it's really incredible."
There have
been so any articles written about Roger Federer over the past two
years. Some, including Hall of Famer John McEnroe, call him the most
talented player in the history of tennis. Others, including Brad
Gilbert, point to his court coverage, agility and ability to lift his
level of play during pivotal points of a match as key to his success.
Some call Federer the maestro for the masterful way he conducts points,
wielding his racquet as if it were a baton eliciting all the right
notes. All of these titles bestowed on Federer are fitting
characterizations of perhaps the most gifted player the sport has ever
seen. And Federer continues to state his case for the ultimate title of
greatest player in history. He thrashed Fernando Gonzalez in the Madrid
final on Sunday to claim his 10th tournament title of the season,
marking the third consecutive year he has won at least 10 titles.
Although
Federer has met and surpassed any milestones in his career and we have
bestowed many titles on him along the way, there is one quality that I
believe is sometimes overlooked in discussions of Federer and that is
the way in which he carries himself on and off the court.
The demeanor,
integrity, self-confidence and overall manner of Federer sets him apart
from many of his peers. He is tough, gritty and hard-nosed on the
inside, yet gentle, compassionate, funny, sincere and soft spoken on
the outside. He is a man that pursues his business one week at a time,
one tournament at a time. True champions are not one-dimensional people
and it is obvious Federer's parents, Robert and Lynette, have instilled
him not only the will to win on the tennis court, but a sense of
perspective of the world that transcends tennis and is evident in
Federer's work with the United Nations as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
and in forming the Roger Federer Foundation to aid South African
children.
So many times
we see Federer off the court signing autographs, speaking to the media
in multiple languages and making himself available to promote his
sport. At a time when many players would rather be left alone, Federer,
the world's best player, finds the time to promote his sport. Federer
accepts the responsibility that comes with holding the World No. 1 rank
and respects both the sport and its fans with his classy conduct.
I hope that
Federer's playing career will continue for many years, but when it is
time to call it quits, I hope that he will not be like so many
champions who retire from tennis and are very rarely heard from after
they put away their racquets. Roger Federer has made a lasting
impression on tennis as both a champion and an ambassador for the sport.
Paul E.
Farrow trained under the late Dr. Robert Johnson, Arthur Ashe's coach,
and played tournament tennis in the days when the USTA was known as the
USTLA and the association was slowly permitting blacks to enter junior
tournaments. Farrow has played against Jimmy Connors, Eddie Dibbs,
Harold Solomon and many other nationally-ranked juniors. He is
currently a USPTA-certified tennis instructor who resides in
Georgia.
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