MELBOURNE—Elastoplast is an Australian-based website that offers tips about woundcare, footware, beauty and, in the site’s words, “your active life.” According to Elastoplast, “Blisters form on hands and feet from rubbing and pressure.”
The blister that had formed on Hyeon Chung’s left foot prior to his Australian Open semifinal against Roger Federer was certainly one factor in play. This painful injury forced the 21-year-old to retire when trailing 6-1, 5-2. Even worse, it was learned after the match, this was one of those blisters below blisters below blisters, where even steps such as shaving it off and injections fail.
Then there was the blister created by the pressure Federer applied right from the start. Though Federer was aware of Chung’s injury prior to the match, Federer pointed out afterward that, “I played the first set without feeling him having really that many issues.”
As you might expect, Chung and Federer had never played one another. Of course, Chung had seen more of Federer than the opposite. But if you’re Federer, graced with the widest array of tools tennis has ever seen, it hardly takes much time to commence the probe with the alacrity of a dentist inspecting a child’s teeth within weeks of Halloween. Any cavities will rapidly be detected.
To watch Federer is to witness a rare competitive mix: tranquil intensity. Jack Nicklaus, Joe Montana, Steph Curry are a few of the other athletes that also have this quality. It appears so natural, as if the competitor merely slid out of the womb. But let’s recall that once upon a time, even the young Federer was rather moody as he sought to reconcile lively ball-striking with composure.
