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July 7, 2007
Federer excels as graceful assassin
By Robert Philip, Telegraph
It
was during Ivan Lendl's joyless rule as world No 1 two decades ago that
Manuel Santana, the Spanish artist who fashioned brushstrokes of genius
from his palette of lobs, spins and dinks to become Wimbledon's most
graceful men's singles winner in 1966, shook his head sadly and mused:
"John McEnroe was probably the last beautiful champion." Manolo
is back at the All England Club, from where he would pen love poems to
his wife in Madrid between matches. Although he follows young
compatriot Rafael Nadal's matches with unbridled enthusiasm, one
suspects that it is Roger Federer who sends the romantic Madrileno
heart soaring. The Swiss has various claims to fame, from speaking
Swiss German, German German, English, French, Swedish and Italian, to
being voted 'International Man of Sexiness' in People magazine's
'Sexiest Men Alive' issue, and might just be the greatest grasscourt
player the world has known. I stress might, because
who knows how many Wimbledon titles Rod Laver - who, like Federer, won
four in a row from 1961-62 and 1968-69 - might have won had he not
spent five years in the twilight world of professional tennis or
reached for an experimental metal racket in 1970, following which he
never knew whether his trusty backhand would zip down the line as of
old or sail into the Royal Box? Perhaps some
computer geek can end this particular argument by coming up with a
virtual-reality contest which pits old maestro against young master,
but here in the real world surely no one could question Chilean
Fernando Gonzalez's assertion that: "Roger is unbeatable at Wimbledon;
he does not have a single weakness."
Uncharacteristically
sloppy and sluggish on occasion during his 7-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
quarter-final defeat of another member of the Spanish tennis armada,
Juan Carlos Ferrero, this most stylish and gracious of champions never,
ever fails to amaze. Even when he is unleashing 125 mph aces, the
Federer service action is poetry in motion, his volleys are
spray-starch crisp, the groundstrokes deceptively elegant, while his
delicious half-volleys from the baseline represent a master class in
making the very difficult look very easy. J C
Ferrero was named after the King of Spain and is affectionately known
as 'the Mosquito' in the locker room, but it was Federer who provided
the majesty and buzz when the match resumed at 5-5, 40-40 in the first
set. Walking out on Centre Court in his white blazer and flannels,
Federer just needed a cigarette in a golden holder in one hand and mint
julep in t'other to complete the Great Gatsby image. For
patriotic reasons, Santana will be hoping that Nadal scuppers Federer's
hopes of a fifth successive title should they meet in tomorrow's final.
However, Bjorn Borg, the only other man to have achieved that feat in
the 'Open' era, is eager to share his record and is making only his
second pilgrimage to Wimbledon in 27 years to witness the moment. "People
thought I didn't want to come back, but it was just that I had such
special, beautiful memories of Wimbledon and I was happy with my
memories," Borg said. "Wimbledon is the greatest tournament in the
world; I feel that in my mind and in my heart. It's almost like a holy
place for me. "I just feel that this is the right
time for me to come back, hopefully to watch Roger matching my record.
He is such a special guy. If he wins this year, which I think he will,
then we can start talking about whether he'll beat Pete Sampras' record
of seven. It's all a question of motivation because, I agree, Roger is
almost unbeatable on grass. He has no weaknesses at all." Does
all this talk of Borg and Sampras inhibit or inspire, you might wonder?
Is there added pressure in trying to catch a pair of ghosts? "No,
I don't see it as pressure," Federer said. "I think it's more of a fun
thing, a challenge. It's another dream come true in a way because I
never thought I would be chasing down former greats. My dream as a
child was to play Wimbledon even once. When that dream came true, then
the dream was to win it once. It all came true." Just
as pop pickers in the Sixties had to choose between the Beatles and the
Stones - you weren't allowed to like both - so the Borg-McEnroe rivalry
split mankind. From what he has learnt via books and videos, Federer
has always been a Borg man. "I think he's
fantastic," Federer said. "When you know Borg is sitting there, you try
to play your best. You're not trying to prove yourself but in the back
of your mind you know he's there. Obviously to maybe equal his record
with him watching would be another dream come true."
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