Well, I’m pretty well fried after this most eventful and controversial women's final, but I want to say a few words about Roger Federer before I call it quits for the night.
A number of you have expressed your disappointment about the lack of posts on the Mighty Fed, and all I can say is that I feel your pain. Try to feel mine, too: The guy is the calm at the center of the Grand Slam storm. He survives, round after round. He’s my money in the bank, in lots of different ways.
But you’re right – you need at least an update of some kind. Well, here’s what I’m thinking, 24 hours before the men’s final. The Mighty Fed has played slightly below par. He’s appeared a little dour and cranky on court, and he’s certainly exposed his vitals to a number of marksmen capable of putting the bullet on the target: Haas, Davydenko, even Kiefer, for two sets. None of them were able to squeeze one off.
But here’s the interesting thing about Federer: He doesn’t see it exactly that way. In his presser after yesterday’s Kiefer match, he said:
Translation: I’m not playing great, but the only thing worse than being a little off your form is worrying about it and making an issue of it. You’ve got to dance with the one who brung you, and hope that it will be enough to win, or that you’ll get a little better and make your life easier.
The Mighty Fed is the coolest customer out there since Bjorn Borg, another reticent soul whose cabal was small, very loyal, impossible for an outsider to penetrate. Ever notice how Federer seems to exist in a different space and operate on slightly different time schedule than the rest of us? Well, he’s shown a great facility for keeping it simple, for focusing on the things that are of paramount importance to him (winning Grand Slam titles is chief among them), avoiding controversy, keeping his eyes on the long-term prize: greatness. He knows how to impose his will and vision on the world around him, as much as he imposes his game on his opponents.
Some years ago, I was talking with Boris Becker about Pete Sampras. Boris was the exact opposite of Borg, Federer, and Sampras, in that he seemed to thrive when his life was complicated or controversy raged around him. But Boris said, “Pete has a great talent for shutting out the world, for building a wall around himself so that nothing gets in the way of his mission, which is to win Grand Slam titles. That has made his life less interesting, maybe, but also easier.”
Well, the Mighty Fed has that same talent. He doesn't date starlets. He has no reality show. In fact, if you watch him closely during matches, he appears almost to exist in a different reality. His opponent hits a winner after a great rally, bringing the crowd to its feet, and Fed is lurking at the back windscreen, lost in thought, immune to the disappointment, trepidation, or anger that another player would be feeling at that moment. In fact, he looks like a guy looking for his wristwatch in the grass. Hmmmm… I was sure I had it on until I was standing here . . .”
This ability serves him well, and it kind of goes hand-in-hand with his sense of his own worth. Did you ever notice how he can get almost, well, [prickly when someone points out that this or that opponent has either beaten him, or appears to be playing well enough to beat him?
At Indian Wells last year, he pointedly corrected a reporter who implied that he was embroiled in rivalries with a number of players, including Marat Safin. They’ve got to win more for it to be a rivalry, he said, half-jokingly.
After his last match here, he was quick to note that he was relieved that he’d had some experience of Baghdatis’ game, having played him three times in the past – most recently a few weeks ago in Doha. Translation: Get outta here, dude, I tagged the guy all three times we’ve played and it can’t be like he got that much better in two weeks!
Generally, Federer is very diplomatic; the defensiveness he sometimes shows when he feels he’s being underestimated is transparent and funny. The message: Yeah, I’m a nice guy, but I’m not going to let anyone shortchange me or take advantage of my good nature. I’m the big dog and let’s not forget it.
Looking at the matchup tomorrow, I find it hard to see how Baghdatis can win. My gut tells me that Federer wants to start the year with a shot at achieving a Grand Slam. He’s been playing within himself, surviving, letting the tennis player’s equivalent of a heavyweight fighter’s fury build inside.
There’s a storm gathering, folks, and it’s inside this intensely devoted and experienced Grand Slam champion. He’s swept all else away, all distractions and questions and controversies. The other day, in an extraordinarily frank exchange with the press corps, he said:
Boy, does this guy have all the bases covered. I know he hasn't been holding anything back, consciously, but I also think he's been pacing himself with astonishing, spontaneous success. I get the feeling that he’s got another gear left to shift up to here in Melbourne. I asked him about that, point blank. He answered:
Translation: I’ll be as good as I need to be.