Being A Federer Fan by Ed Billett

Written by: Staff on 16th October 2013

Being A Federer Fan by Ed Billett

epa03554466 Roger Federer of Switzerland during his semi final match against Andy Murray of Great Britain at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 25 January 2013. EPA/Barbara Walton |

Irene Contributing Editor Comments -

This article is so good to read because we all have selfishly expected him to win at all costs. After his loss at Wimbledon, I wrote down all his achievements on a sheet of paper to remind myself of his accomplishments for so many years and his back to back wins at Slams several times in a row which no one else has done. He was No. 1 for over 300 weeks. Novak & Rafa have a long ways to go to achieve that.

So lest we forget what this great tennis icon has accomplished and all the joy he’s given us and the beauty of his style that has inspired us for so long, Ed’s article really put his losses into perspective for us.

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As the ATP Tour eases its way through the Asian swing, 2013 has so far, by Roger Federer’s standards, been somewhat of a disappointment. This is, of course, relative – posting an ATP 250 title, Grand Slam semi and quarter-finals, and the opportunity to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals would, for the majority of players on the ATP tour, qualify as a successful season. For Roger Federer, however, this year represents a significant lull in his illustrious career, failing to reach a single Grand Slam final, and dropping from world #1 to #7 in the space of 12 months.

Trying to contextualise the career of Federer in the terms of the majority of ATP players is, however, almost certainly a redundant comparison. Federer, the 17 time Grand Slam champion, has surpassed records many had previously resigned as insurmountable, has assumed the role for many years now of the ‘model tennis professional’, and has become an icon not only to those who know the sport, but his name has virtually become synonymous with tennis itself. It is not hard, therefore, to see why Federer, and his legions of fans, have been less than satisfied thus far with the 2013 season.

This does not, however, wholly explain the disappointment and disbelief of Federer’s fans at his losses to seemingly lesser opponents (losses I need not record here) on a more regular basis. This obsession with Federer’s apparent decline owes perhaps to the complexity of Federer himself – not so much Federer the tennis player, but what he represents.

The figure of Roger Federer is difficult to understand even within reference to himself, let alone contextualised alongside the rest of the ATP Tour. Federer himself is often seen as a sort of unattainable deified figure, an elusive living, breathing oxymoron; on the tennis court Federer is both sharp and smooth, ruthless yet graceful, both devastating and beautiful. Federer has transcended multiple eras, the rise and fall of which usually coincide with the players they produce; Federer bested the likes of Sampras playing serve and volley on the faster grass courts of Wimbledon, adapted his game to out-grind the likes of Hewitt, and after that rose to the challenge presented by the emergence of Nadal and his contemporaries, thus assigning him a certain sense of immortality.

Like the man himself, Federer’s recent shortcomings can be viewed in a divisive fashion. For some, the apparent decline of Federer represents a kind of morbid fascination, a disbelief or wonder that a player who has dominated for so long is finally showing the inevitable vulnerability which comes with age. For the others, Federer’s recent losses are both puzzling and disheartening in equal measure – for a man who has outlasted and adapted to dominate each era of players presented to him, it is perhaps strange (though in hindsight inevitable) to see him struggle to keep pace with the likes of Murray, Nadal and Djokovic, with their brand of defensively-grounded tennis.

For many of the Federer fans disheartened and puzzled by the losses of the Swiss, Federer’s defeats represent a kind of tarnishing of Roger Federer, the deified oxymoronic figure who has transcended both eras and opponents. It is not uncommon each time Federer is bested by an ‘inferior’ opponent that there are calls among his fans for Federer to retire, lest his image be diminished in suffering such humbling defeats. As a Federer fan myself, this is a perfectly understandable position, yet an almost entirely selfish one. Federer’s losses now will in no way diminish his past achievements, and it must be remembered that Federer continues to play for no one but himself, having surpassed virtually all records and amassed an enormous collection of titles. When such fans say they would like Federer to retire to spare himself the embarrassment of losing, the desire is in fact to spare ourselves. As tennis fans, we should be grateful that Federer’s desire to remain in the game is greater than his desire to leave it, and cherish each time Federer chooses to play, win or lose.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon

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theyplaytennis says:

October 11, 2013 at 7:31 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Being a Federer fan by Ed Billett: As the ATP Tour eases its way through the Asian swing, 2013 has so f… http://t.co/rJ…
SimonPfanner says:

October 11, 2013 at 7:39 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Being a Federer fan by Ed Billett: As the ATP Tour eases its way through the Asian swing, 2013 has so f… http://t.co/rJ…
10sBalls_com says:

October 13, 2013 at 9:29 am

Being A Federer Fan by Ed Billett – http://t.co/rJaAhBfrDk @FedererNews @rogerfederer @BleacherReport #tennis @FedererUpdate #Federer