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September 6, 2007
Greatness like Federer's must be appreciated
By Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service
Turned on the television the other night
to watch the man in black devour another opponent on the stadium court.
Poor Andy Roddick, again.
If tennis is one big Sunday brunch for Roger Federer, Poor Andy Roddick is the eggs benedict.
He did not go without a fight this time, but go
he did, which makes 14 losses in 15 meetings, and Akron has better odds
than that this week against Ohio State.
But then, who can condemn Poor Andy Roddick? He is banging his head against the Great Wall of Switzerland.
Not a tennis buff? Fine. But you should take
note of what is going on in the Age of Federer. You really should. We
do not get many glimpses of champions such as this one. Not in any
sport. Not ever.
Imagine this. Tiger Woods finishing first or
second in 10 straight majors, winning eight of them. As fearsome as his
game is, it can't be done.
Imagine this. USC ranked No. 1 for 187 straight
weeks. Even if Pete Carroll landed nine blue chip running backs —
which, come to think of it, he has — that is unfathomable.
Imagine this. Barry Bonds nearing the most glorious record in his sport ... at the age of 26. Does not compute.
But there is greatness, and there is Roger
Federer. By the end of the coming weekend, he will almost certainly
have won the U.S. Open, which will make 10 straight appearances in the
finals of a Grand Slam event, and 12 Grand Slam titles overall, leaving
him just two behind Pete Sampras' all-time record.
But this is not just about numbers. This is
about owning a game and everyone in it — except Rafael Nadal on clay.
This is about aura. Poor Andy Roddick is the main American threat in
most big tournaments, except he keeps bumping into Federer. Then it is
time to pack.
Poor Andy Roddick kept getting in
140-mile-an-hour serves the other night, had only 24 unforced errors in
two hours, and by his own analysis "played my [butt] off out there."
He lost in straight sets.
Then he headed for the usual inquisition of trying to tell the world how it feels to be Federer fodder. What must that be like?
"It's not fun," Poor Andy Roddick said at his press conference.
Someone brought up a terrifying question: Might Roger Federer be getting even better?
"I don't know," Poor Andy Roddick said, and the
mere fact he did not deny it must have sent enough shivers through the
rest of tennis to freeze rackets to hands.
It is hard to think of many athletes even close
to this dominant. Woods, of course. Michael Jordan perhaps. Muhammad
Ali, certainly. Babe Ruth, back in the season his 47 home runs were
more than nine TEAMS had.
And how is Federer doing it? He mentioned during
his press conference how strong so many pieces of his tennis game are
now — with effective weapons from serve to baseline. The man's game is
like a Swiss Army Knife.
Plus, there's something special from the shoulders up. There invariably is with an athlete this extraordinary.
"Mentally, I'm always aware of my opponent. I
never underestimate. I think that's one very important aspect," he
said. "And usually I can play the moment very well. ... That's also one
very important part of my game, to understand the moment."
This is duly appreciated by the rest of field,
even by Nadal, who keeps beating him on clay just to prove Federer is a
man and not a robot.
But the keenest appreciation might belong to
Poor Andy Roddick, who picked a lousy time to come along in tennis.
Without Federer, what championship booty might he own?
"If I start feeling sorry for myself," he said, "I need a serious sense of perspective."
Poor Andy Roddick will keep trying, believing he has a chance. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be out here."
But there is no end in sight. Federer is a phenomenon, and nothing less.
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