k**f
发帖数: 1137 | 1 A beautiful tribute to Federer from Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020337060457726586
He arrived right on time. It had been a disillusioning few days in sports: a
scandal over injury "bounties" was enveloping the NFL; a judge had ordered
the owners of the Mets to pay up to $83 million to the trustee for the
investors defrauded by Bernard Madoff. This was the kind of news that
stripped away the curtains and revealed professional athletics for what it
is: a business, often unsavory.
None of this had anything to do with him, but it was nevertheless reassuring
to see him out there, floating across the baseline in a turquoise headband.
Even in a hasty warm-up session, the famous elegance—the uncanny ability
to make the athletically difficult look so effortless—was easy to recognize
. It was what the people had paid to see.
Roger Federer played tennis in Madison Square Garden Monday, in an
exhibition against Andy Roddick put on by BNP Paribas, an evening that also
featured a women's showdown between Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova.
Like Caroline vs. Maria, it was not a thrilling match—it was played at
roughly three-quarters speed, sometimes far less than that. (Exhibition
tennis is a little like airline food: sufficient when trapped with limited
options, but no comparison to an authentic meal.) Roddick won 7-5, 7-6, a
meaningless but still conspicuous result, as Federer owns a 21-2 lifetime
record when the stakes are real.
Roddick is the 31st-ranked player in the world now, and it feels like a
million years ago when he and Federer met in the 2009 Wimbledon final, a
five-set epic strangely forgotten amid all the gargantuan five-setters in
recent seasons. Injury has taken a toll, as has the misfortune of playing in
an era dominated by all-timers like Federer and Rafael Nadal. At 29,
Roddick has settled into the role of the cranky vet, and before 18,000 at
the Garden he played the clown, chucking his racket in playful frustration (
though at one point almost accidentally hitting a ball girl) and briefly
mimicking Nadal by pulling up his sleeves, exposing his biceps and imitating
the Spanish champion's loopy topspin strokes.
Federer was Federer. He is smart enough to know that people don't want to
see him goof around—they come to witness the refined mien, the sublime
ground strokes, the buttery cross court volleys. He is 30 now, and though he
won last weekend in Dubai, he hasn't taken a Grand Slam in two years. This
mattered little to the crowd. The night felt like an homage, an opportunity
for tribute—even a gassed, jet-lagged Federer at exhibition strength was
Federer in the flesh.
But this is not a final lap. Not even close. Unlike Roddick, Federer is
showing only incremental signs of age, and though he sits below Nadal and
Novak Djokovic in the rankings, he's not an easy out for either. The Fed
faithful hold out hope for a 17th Slam (Wimbledon 2012?) and this summer
also brings the prospect of the Olympics at the All-England Club. Federer
even hinted recently that he'd like to be around for the Rio Olympics in
2016, though that prospect sounds a little Favre-erer.
He's an anomaly in sports—the relevant icon, pushing on gracefully. His
game may not be what it was at its peak, but Federer still carries unusual
dignity, removed from the consuming shrill. The tennis he played Monday in
New York may have been insignificant, but his presence still had meaning. | j*******e
发帖数: 15 | 2 great topic. love him always. | h*******s
发帖数: 8454 | 3 re
a
ordered
reassuring
headband.
【在 k**f 的大作中提到】
: A beautiful tribute to Federer from Wall Street Journal.
: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020337060457726586
: He arrived right on time. It had been a disillusioning few days in sports: a
: scandal over injury "bounties" was enveloping the NFL; a judge had ordered
: the owners of the Mets to pay up to $83 million to the trustee for the
: investors defrauded by Bernard Madoff. This was the kind of news that
: stripped away the curtains and revealed professional athletics for what it
: is: a business, often unsavory.
: None of this had anything to do with him, but it was nevertheless reassuring
: to see him out there, floating across the baseline in a turquoise headband.
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