The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:
The Telugu headline in the image
below, on the day Federer retired, traces its origin to lyrics of a composition
of Shri Thyagaraja in the 18th century. It roughly translates to “Can we ever see
such beauty/elegance...”. The rough translation does not render any justice
to the elegance of how the original line is pronounced/delivered and the
context with which it has been used for Federer 😊.
The closest any English headline
came to describe what crores of people go through while watching Federer play
came from the New York Times, way back in 2006.
That the followers of this
religious experience continued to grow manifold for the next 16 years after the
article was written is simply a testimony to how Roger Federer has been an
integral part of the lives of countless millions of people in the world. If one
were to be asked as to what specific aspect of Federer’s game and persona makes
it a religious experience watching him play, I bet there will not be a singular
answer for it.
Is it because he doesn’t overtly
show his emotion during the course of the game? Or is it because he’s shown us that
he’s afterall human, when he lost to Nadal in that dreadful 2009 Australian
Open final? Is it the because only he could script one of the greatest comebacks
in sport, when he won 3 slams in 2017 and 2018? Or is it something beyond just
the winning and losing? Is it because of the shots that defied logic? Or is it
because of THAT backhand? Is it because of the constants in his game – his stride,
his serve, his innovation, his wife? Or is it just because Federer has been a
constant for us at the highest level of the game for so many years?
A lot has been written about the
20 Grand Slams he won and the total 31 finals he has played. A lot has not
been written about the 46 semi-finals and 58 Quarterfinals he has reached at
the Grand Slams – an unparalleled record that may perhaps never be broken. From
his 2004 victory at the Wimbledon till his Quarterfinal defeat at the 2013
French Open, Federer was the only constant up until the Quarterfinals (More often
than not, up until the Semi-finals!). To
give you a better context, from the time he won his first Wimbledon in 2003,
Federer has reached the top 8 of Grand Slam tournaments (most difficult ones in
Tennis) a whopping 88% of the time; and top 4 a whopping 73% of the time; and
the top 2 a whopping 50% of the time.
Have you ever wondered as to how
it is even possible to maintain such remarkable consistency? His records at
other tournaments and his record streak as the World number 1 are ofcourse yet
another proof of his constant presence in the tennis top echelons. What kind of
discipline, determination, and talent is needed to sustain so well for so long
at the top of such a competitive sport? The story of Roger Federer as a
religious experience lies in this remarkable consistency. And it is the story
we should all perhaps imbibe – just be consistent at what you do.
The first of the big three
(Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) has hung up his boots. Nadal’s injuries don’t show us a rosy picture
of how much more he will be able to compete. The retirement has left a void in how
we will experience tennis from now on. Countless of us yearned to hold the
racquet like him, stand in a receiving position like him, hit a forehand like
him; and try THAT backhand to understand how he does it!
“Game. Set. Match. Federer”
is now history. Thank you, Roger Federer!
PS: I found this writing by
SPORTSTAR to be very exquisite.
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