Howdy. I'm back in New York but have an awful lot going on in the last two days before I leave for vacation, so blogging will be very light. One thing I thought you long-time Tribe members might find amusing is that the other day at the Cincinnati Masters I saw a woman walking around in a signature scarlet-and-white, Swiss motif t-shirt, bearing the words: The Mighty Fed. We've got clout, folks!
In a pretty good example of synchronicity, Kamakshi and I were emailing today and batting around the idea of re-posting some TennisWorld "classics" while I'm on vacation, and out of the blue she suggested that one of our selections ought to be the place where we first used that nickname for Federer.
Speaking of TMF, I thought this a touching and truly gracious comment, made near the end of his post-match presser following the Ginepri match.The comments were a response to a question about the degree of importance Federer attaches to holding onto the no. 1 ranking :
Well, it is important. But if Rafa were to get it, look what he had to achieve to get it, you know. That's what I like to see. I would have been disappointed if I would have lost first round in Paris and Wimbledon. Then I wouldn't be sitting here being so nonchalant about it.
If he gets it he deserves it. He's been No. 2 for a long, long time. Let's not forget about that. He had his chances in the past and now he's closer than ever just because he could really get Wimbledon. I think that was a big one for him, you know, and he's been on an incredible roll.
He hasn't made it yet, you know. I'm still hanging in there, and I hope I can now get on a roll after this match today.
That's class. And it helps explaiin why this rivalry may be the one that ultimately helps many, many otherwise indifferent or even critical sports fans come to love tennis - not just one or the other player, which boils down to a simple matter of personal taste, or the intensity of the rivalry (we already had that in McEnroe-Lendl), not just a colorful, attention getting personality (Jimmy Connors, anyone?) or the symbolism embodied by the contrasting styles and personalities of the two titans, but the game. And let's face it, the one thing that endures and lifts countless spirits over years and decades and eras and even centuries is. . . the game.
This is a Crisis Center post, for match-calling and discussing today's play in Cincinnati. Please keep your comments on-topic until the action has run its course. . .