Is Roger Federer the best? And, would he have been a lesser or greater player without Nadal and Djokovic?
The Hindu
The Swiss tennis ace retires at this weekend’s Laver Cup
The thing about Roger Federer is this: my Federer is different from yours, despite obvious overlaps. This is true not just of great sportsmen, but great artists and musicians too. The matches and statistics are just a Google search away; the emotional connect to each follower is unique.
There are only two questions to be answered about Federer. Is he the greatest of all time? And, would he have been a lesser or greater player without the accident of playing in the same era as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, each a contributor to the legend of the other two?
Let’s settle the ‘greatest’ argument first. The requirements are simple enough. On the measurable scale, an all-round game, record, consistency, longevity. On the incalculable, aesthetics, conduct, ability to inspire and be the face of the game, respect for the sport but with a healthy perspective about its place in the scheme of things. You can add more. In the end, the judgement is subjective.
Sport has no call to be beautiful, but the greatest must reveal its beauty, sometimes to the extent that the score itself becomes irrelevant.
Federer’s backhand, his inside-out forehand are things of beauty deserving museum space next to a Beethoven composition or a Monet painting.
He enhanced our ability to appreciate grace on the sports field.
Federer stands alongside Pele, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Garry Sobers — the greatest of all time who not only taught us about the grandeur of sport, but helped us understand ourselves better. We measured our lives in the heat and cold of their performances, and when they retired, a part of us died. Their stories became part of our story, and thanks to the romance of the moving image on our screens, we felt a part of their lives too. This intimacy is both artificial and very real.