Sports Montage

Dear Casual Sports Fan,
The time has come for you to become interested in tennis. You’re missing out on watching the most dominant athlete of a generation in his prime. Close the cage on Tiger and go Rodan on Kobe, Roger Federer is here and he’s just doing his thing, constantly with no worries. (Peace to Keith Murray.) You’ve embraced golf, now simply just cross it over. I know it’s a bit anathemic to the American sports pastiche to admit that the top two athletes in the world play golf and tennis, respectively, but really, there is no excuse anymore. Man up, grab a beer if you have to. You won’t regret it.

And now, some exposition. (I apologize for the incoherence - it’s late.) Being a solid, thorough multi-sport fan and being somewhat blessed to be on the West Coast, I decided to forgo a bit of sleep and see how long I could make it through the Federer/Roddick semi in the Aussie Open. I used to play tennis quite heavily in my high school/collegiate days and still follow the sport with some passion, but as an American a bit of my disinterest is certainly due to the inability of the current crop of players to catch my imagination in the same way that Courier, Agassi, or even the hilariously quotable Ivanisevic did. The match itself certainly curried my interest - the undisputed World #1 vs. the rejuvenated former Mr. Mandy Moore, all hell on wheels under the tutelage of Jimmy “I Made Aaron Krickstein Kill Himself” Connors. So what if I lost a bit of sleep, eh?

Federer 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.

Watching the match honestly reminded me of a lot of transcendent sports moments in my life, the classic “Did that really just happen?” moments that everyone remembers. Mario’s goal in the 1991 Stanley Cup against the North Stars. Gary Anderson hitting the post in the 1998 Vikings/Falcons NFC Championship game. (An aside: it’s an absolute crock how forgotten this game is. Last week’s AFC was good, but that game is still #1.) Larry Bird dropping like 50 points in the 1987 All-Star 3 Point Competition. These moments define sport for people, and watching Federer gave me that sense. Repeatedly. It was like watching Jordan drop 60, over and over again. Just total mastery of one’s game, moment after moment of pure skill.

I wrote before in a post about how I felt Roger Federer should have been SI’s Sportsman of the Year, or at the very least, shared it with Tiger. 92-5! To be sure and to this day still, I’m not quite sure what it is about him that doesn’t catch the fancy of the United States’ collective eye. He’s devestatingly talented, most likely going to go down in time as the greatest to play his game. He is humble, well-spoken, and compulsively liked by everyone, a true ambassador of the game and athletics in general Is it a matter of simply being too clean, too squeaky? I sure hope not. Tiger is equally his equal as far as genteel demeanor combined with competitive gusto, so why is it Tiger seems more embracable? Marketing? Or is it just the sport? Or is it a matter that he’s Swiss, a nation that has no sports radar to speak of?

It’s certainly true that the visibility of tennis is less than golf, but I would make the argument - and I hope most would back me up - that tennis is certainly a more athletic, physical game, and analogous enough in terms of mental toughness and tactics. Anyone who saw Sampras vs. Corretja at the US Open or had to slug out a three-setter on clay knows what I mean. Growing up in my suburban, country-club neighborhood there was never really any question what sport I would rather play, but hey - I’m biased. Tennis athletes, and Roger, definitely, are faster, stronger, and more dedicated than most people think, so I really hope that’s not it.

Anyway, back to the match. I had and still have some good hopes for Roddick; him and James Blake present a good foundation for American tennis with healthy doses of sizzle and steak. For the casual man, it might not be enough (failing a generational player like Sampras or a punk/sellout/showman/pussy-whipped underachiever/comeback story/humanitarian like Agassi), but for most passive fans of the game, it should. But man, oh man, all that aside and I really can’t emphasize this enough..Federer is just nasty. I mean, just plain sick. After watching him flawlessly dismantle and dishearten a streaking, on-fire Roddick was like I was watching Sampras play the last qualifier to the Girl’s Juniors draw. It was breathtaking, unbelievable. On his serve, on the run, everywhere on the court. Much like Tiger (really, the only comparison) he is dominant to the point where opponents fear him, and know that even if they bring their best, they’ll only win if Roger is off. And most likely wayoff. He changes strengths, he changes tactics. He is so far above anyone else in his sport that I can honestly think of no comparison, past or present (including Tiger), in any sport. It’s tough, and trying to see a player like Roddick try as hard as he did, go into the match with so much hope and energy, and just get so demoralized. Absolutely steamrolled.

I don’t know, I’m just thinking out loud, I guess. It’s 2 AM and the loquacious praise is certainly flowing, but hey - if I’m inspired to write a post at all about a tennis match I saw at 2 AM, that’s certainly something, right? It’s very easy to ruminate when you’re watching a master at work, just hoping and wondering when exactly the man will get his due in the eyes of the American everysportsfan. But you know what? I bet he’s perfectly happy if he never gets it. That’s just how he is, that’s just how he plays. If you know, you know. If you don’t, it really is your loss.