—Murray is 18 and just getting started on tour. Federer is 24, a year younger than Murray is today. He was at his youthful peak at this point. He had just won his second straight U.S. Open and was in the middle of an 81-4 season, the second-best single-season percentage on the men’s side in the Open era.
How has Federer changed? He was thicker back then, not as lean as he is today. Does he hit his topspin backhand differently? It looks like he was more open to the net in those days. He was focused, at least in this match, on moving forward whenever he could. He knew he could win the battle of court position with Murray. Some things don’t change, though. The commentator, Wayne Bryan, says, “Big point"; Federer, on cue, hits an ace.
—From the start, Murray wasn’t an easy match-up for Federer. His speed, anticipation, and ability to do different things with the ball kept Federer from running over him. Here you can see how Murray wins with his movement. He’s never more dangerous, or more accurate, than when he’s scrambling for a forehand. He hits his customary cross-court pass from that side—I’m not sure he’s missed it in the last seven years—and even throws in a cross-court winner after tracking down a Federer drop shot.
Murray, like all 18-year-olds, is looser than his 25-year-old version, and he plays like a kid with nothing to lose. On this day at least, he hits his forehand with more abandon than he does now. But he wasn’t so loose that he didn’t get angry. After one forehand winner, he gestures toward his box in that way we’ve come to know—and love?—so well.
—Is it possible to see the present and future in this match? You can if you want to. On one side is Federer, a player whose heroes had been Edberg, Becker, and Sampras, serve-and-volleyers and all-courters. His tendency is to come forward. On the other side is Murray, a player who grew up firmly in the baseline era, who wins with speed, defense, and variety, but doesn’t typically look to move into the court.
In some ways, though, the history of tennis is the history of the individual personalities at the top of the sport. The men’s game has become more of a baseline game partly because Andy Murray’s natural inclination is to play that way. It’s true that the vast majority of today’s players are baseliners, but Murray is one of the few we see on TV all the time. If he alone had been a serve-and-volleyer, we might see all of men’s tennis differently. But Murray is a counterpuncher, rather than an authority figure, through and through—even his much-regretted autobiography is called <em>Hitting Back</em>.
—Whatever else Federer had accomplished that season, he wanted this match. A couple of big points late in the second set are followed by a loud “Come on!” The year before, Federer had lost his first encounter with another teenager, Rafael Nadal, a match that helped set the tone for the rest of their duels. Maybe, somewhere in the back of his mind, Federer wanted to make sure this future rivalry, which he could already foresee, got off to a better start for him.
—The handshake reminds me of the handshake between John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors after their first match, at Wimbledon in 1977. In that case as well, the older player, Connors, was the winner, but the younger one had left an impression. Federer and Connors both talk to the shy younger player, who is a little surprised by the words. In this case, though, it’s Murray who finishes with a few words for Federer before they part.
Can anyone tell what he says?
