The Hindu : Sport : Roger Federer — statistical marvel, aesthetic delight

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2005

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Roger Federer — statistical marvel, aesthetic delight

Federer's game appears to elevate on command, genius rising to meet the moment, writes Rohit Brijnath

Eventually prayer went unanswered. Twenty thousand urging voices went unheard. The American's forehands, as clean as shafts of sunlight, went unrewarded. Beating Roger Federer in a final — 23 gone now without defeat — evidently requires more. What, we do not know.

Sunday's U.S. Open final was about sport, but also romance. Tennis' with Agassi, but also Federer's with excellence. Most watchers rooted for the American but not against the affable Swiss, polished as he is in manner and game, who recently said even when he plays bad he's still good. It was a statement absent of pomposity and loaded with truth.

Exceptional ability

At his very best, Federer produces an accelerated, casual geometry on court not seen before, a player of powerful brushwork and formidable resolve, owner of an exceptional ability to turn from defence to offence with a dextrous flick of the wrist.

At the Open, he found that perfect game intermittently, occasionally even ruffling his hair in irritation, though that could merely be a frantic attempt at styling it.

But it has not mattered. Hewitt bothered him and then lost the second set tie-breaker 7-0; Agassi tested him and lost the third set tie-breaker 7-1. Federer's game appears to elevate on command, genius rising to meet the moment.

He appears convinced he cannot be beaten, and it is apparent in every unrestrained swing of his racket, assured that eventually, inevitably, enough shots with fall in.

It is a pressure so throttling that Agassi said: "He's the only guy I've ever played against you hold serve to go 1-0 and you think all right, good."

Amazing record

Federer has never lost a Grand Slam final. In two-and-a-half years he has won as many Grand Slam titles (six) as Becker and Edberg each won in a career.

He has lost three matches this year, of which in two he had match points, and is 45-1 on hard courts. At 24, he is a statistical marvel, an aesthetic delight, a one-man variety show.

As Agassi pointedly said: "I think he's the best I've played against. Pete was great. But there was a place to get to with Pete, you knew what you had to do. If you do it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger." Agassi knows, he tried to find it on Sunday.

Early in the fourth set, Agassi, as contained on court as his wife was, rebuked himself audibly for a poor shot. It symbolised the frustration of a man whose best was good enough for almost any man but one.

Agassi is proof not just of athletic life in the 30s but also the power and possibility of redemption, he is pigeon-toed evidence that even a young, insouciant apprentice (who was once bewildered that players actually decided beforehand where to serve before the toss) can will himself to become a professor in court-craft.

Inspiration

At 35, he is happy to be an inspirational story and comfortable being the dispenser of wisdom. But at 35, Agassi does not want to be trotted out as some smiling museum piece, he wants to be celebrated not for age but for victory, it's why he's still there, why he scrapped through three five-setters against men a decade younger. And it's why his cry of anguish was poignant.

Doing everything, but...

Because he'd done everything right, kicked in serves to Federer's backhand, slipped in drop shots, slapped strokes of damaging efficiency, stayed faithfully aggressive and bravely skittering along on ancient legs. And still it wasn't enough, the dream was slipping from his hands as the day and his career journeyed into dusk.

Whether the American will return, no one knows, maybe not even him, but if Sunday was a last memory then it is a fine one. Federer leaving with the trophy, Agassi with everyone's heart.

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