The Roger Federer Effect III

Written by: Jason Whittington on 16th August 2011

The Roger Federer Effect III |

The Federer Effect III

Let me state it now for the record…I’m a fan, not a fanatic. Just because I’m wearing a RF hat, shirt and jacket while in my house watching today’s Federer match doesn’t make me a fanatic. Maybe I’m wearing them because it gets bright in my house and I need a hat, maybe I left the air conditioning on too long and I needed a jacket. Truth be told as an avid player, wearing the RF logo will probably be as close as I’ll get to turning defense into offense, ending a point with the foresight of a chess master without showing any signs of facial muscle strain, heavy breathing and most importantly, the execution with innate effortless fluidity and supreme athletic STYLE. Although I will still try.

Athletic style is a huge part of what sets Roger Federer apart and above the rest of the pack. All other parts of the game can be learned to varying degrees. One is either born with athletic style or without it. Today was Federer’s first match as a 30 year old player, it was a pretty routine win for him once he found the groove, incredible touch at the net, whipping forehand with ridiculous angle and of course the fake drop shot cross court forehand slice winner. All performed with the utmost ascetically pleasing athletic style. Style doesn’t fade with age. I liken it to another supreme athlete in the surfing world, Kelly Slater. Slater is a 10 TIME WORLD CHAMPION, an incredible achievement that will never be matched, the closest competitor has 3. In February Kelly Slater turned 39 years old, last week he won the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Federer and Slater were born with the gift of ascetically pleasing athletic style. Sure there are a lot of great athletes in both fields, but style is something that cannot be learned, it can only be exposed and appreciated for it’s beauty. Slater hasn’t needed to surf to make a living for a very long time, just as Federer doesn’t have to play tennis to make ends meets (especially with what I’ve spent on RF logoed wear). They both continue because the passion still burns and the drive to raise the level moment by moment still exist. As soon as Slater dismissed the pressure of chasing titles and surfed only for himself, the titles magically followed. The same will be true with Federer. And since this is always about ME and not Roger, that means more wonderful artistry to enjoy.