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September 9, 2007
Decoding the Style of Federer’s Game
By Selena Roberts, New York Times
In his Eddie Haskell moments, Novak Djokovic can mimic Maria
Sharapova down to the way she sweeps away imaginary bangs before every
serve, and he can deliver a dead-on Rafael Nadal to include the
Spaniard’s habitual tug of his Hanes. But how do you impersonate an evolving image? How do you copy Roger Federer? He
is fluid, still creating new angles out of geometric impossibilities as
he did to close out Nikolay Davydenko yesterday at the United States
Open on his way to a 10th straight major final today. “Some points he play like so good,” Davydenko said. “I don’t understand how you can.” Federer is adaptable, able to mentally map an opponent, to zoom in with a mind that seems one part Google Earth. “I
don’t need to sit down and talk about an opponent for an hour,” Federer
said. “Takes me 15 seconds. I know everything I need to know.” In
so many ways, he is like a fashion line — constantly rolling out a new
him. There is the crested Great Gatsby blazer Federer wore at
Wimbledon, and the tuxedo shorts he sported during his night matches at
the Open. These aren’t simply wardrobe changes, but this is a look at Federer in a mode of constant self-discovery. “Maybe
seven years ago, when I started to date Mirka, it was, oh, God, you
know, I had jogging shoes and a pair of jeans,” Federer said in a
recent interview. “That was it, you know. And maybe one T-shirt. I’d
wear that out to dinner. “Then, I started to really enjoy
dressing up. What is my style? Is it a suit? Is it casual? What is it?
I’m young now. So I can make mistakes with my choices. It’s a way to
discover what I like, who I am.” Djokovic has the task of
dismantling an amorphous man, a complicated talent. Is Federer the same
Federer he upset in Montreal last month as the surprise Serb? You can
tell that Djokovic, the master impersonator, can’t quite figure out
Federer. “Roger is too perfect,” Djokovic said in a YouTube clip of his Rich Little antics. “You cannot imitate him.” He
has tried, though. There is YouTube footage of his Federer attempt.
There is proof that Djokovic has studied the ticks and quirks of
Federer. Djokovic, in many ways, is a reasonable facsimile of
Federer in terms of his touch and speed, serve and versatility. He is a
multitasker, just like Federer. It makes for an intriguing final. This is the way it was supposed to be: the rising phenom vs. the establishment. This
is the way it had to be if you’re the United States Tennis Association.
By dispatching Davydenko, Federer saved tennis from an awkward ending.
Imagine a major final with all the scrutiny swirling around Davydenko,
who is at the center of a match-fixing controversy triggered when a
British Internet betting firm voided $7 million in wagers on one of his
matches. Did the mob know Davydenko would retire in the middle of a
match? Was it just a coincidence? Imagine the U.S.T.A. searching
Davydenko’s box today for Sopranos-like figures. Instead, the class clown will play best in class. “I’d
like to know if Roger is carbon-based like the rest of us,” the CBS
analyst Mary Carillo said in an interview before the Open. “I’m not
sure he has a navel. It’s like you need proof he’s human.” Djokovic
has the chance to uncover Federer’s faults. Federer doesn’t take any
threat lightly. He is more protective of his history the closer he gets
to making it. He is one final victory away from 12 majors, two short of
Pete Sampras’s record. The burden has created pressure for Federer. “It’s not like I’m 25 away from Pete Sampras,” Federer said. “I’m so close. So I think about it.” Djokovic
is so far away. He is new to this. If he can deal with the moment,
Djokovic will be free to come out swinging, with nothing to lose. “I’m
not trying to look at Roger,” Djokovic said. “Roger has his own career,
his own life. I have my own thing. We are two different personalities.” True,
Federer is more wry. Djokovic’s humor is overt — a Chevy Chase type in
love with physical comedy. At 26, Federer is an adult. At 20, Djokovic
is working on it. Federer plays to sophisticated audiences. He
is close friends with Tiger Woods, icon of the globe, and Anna Wintour,
the fashion stickler of Vogue. Djokovic goofs around with his
locker-room pals, nameless players who egg him on to be a ham. Yes,
Djokovic has pulled some impressive upsets — and he has earned his No.
3 seeding — but it is hard to take him seriously. Is he for real? Or
just a copycat? “Actually, I need to say in the last two days
the people were more congratulating me for the impressions than for my
tennis,” Djokovic said. “I was wondering, guys, am I here for the
impersonations, entertaining, or to play tennis?” Can Djokovic impersonate a fluid champion?
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