One dimension of reality that we always want more of is time. If only we had more time. But some experiences in our lives transcend time. They are few and far between, yet we all can recall those moments when time stops and something captures our attention fully.
As the tennis season and ATP Finals are wrapping up this week, it is only right to publish this story during the tournament in which Federer dominated for most of his career. Seventeen competitions. Ten finals. Fifty-nine matches won. All records. The ‘Swiss Maestro’ first graced the tournament twenty years ago. Coming off his first Masters 1000 win in Hamburg earlier that year, he was touted as a remarkably gifted yet unstable young player with heaps of potential, though…no one could have predicted what would come to be.
When I first began playing tennis, the only tennis player I followed was Andy Roddick. He was funny, satirical, and quite fun to watch.
Andy Roddick is the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title. For many young American tennis players in the early 2000s, he was an icon and one of the most relatable US tennis players.
Later that year, in 2012, Wimbledon rolled around and I was sitting in the “game room” area of my tennis camp at UC Santa Cruz. Ignoring what was happening around me in that small yet packed room, I was focused on playing air hockey with my friend. We had an hour break every day before the afternoon sessions in the sweltering California sun, so I would use this time to relax and unplug from tennis. Suddenly, I noticed the group near the TV grew larger every five minutes. I had little investment in the world of professional tennis at that point, but I knew who the guy on TV was that everyone was captivated by: Roger Federer.
Up until this point, I don’t think any athlete or sports team had truly inspired me the way Roger did that day as he took the crowd in Southwest London on a wild ride. To provide some context, it was the third round of Wimbledon and Federer was chasing a record-equaling seventh title at the All England Club. Julien Benneteau, a relatively unknown Frenchman ranked 32nd in the world, had just taken a two-sets-to-love lead in the match. It was around 11:30 am, and a quarter of the camp was now crowded into the game room surrounding the TV. By now, I knew I had to watch. I vividly remember one of our counselors saying, “Come on, Roger, pull some new tricks out of the magic bag,” and that he did. Within 10 minutes he had bolted to a 3–0 lead in the third set and started to hit these graceful yet jaw-dropping shots with such extraordinary spin, power, and precision. He was using the tennis court like a canvas, painting the lines with backhands and forehands alike. His serve is a work of art, so effortless, beautiful, and striking. It’s like watching MJ shoot the mid-range, Lindsey Vonn ski the downhill, or Usain Bolt glide through the 100 meters.
I had never witnessed anything like this in my life. 27 minutes later, he won the third set, and afternoon drills were canceled. A long and exciting fourth set ensued with some of the most magnificent ball-striking I’ve ever seen. His old-school touch mixed in with his elegant movement on the grass courts of Wimbledon made it feel like an otherworldly experience. Fast forward to the fourth set tiebreak and the score is tied at five-all, Federer is two points away from losing. He goes on to hit a series of forehands in the next point that I still can’t really explain; he wins that point, followed by a blaring roar from the 40 campers sitting around the TV. Roger went on to win the next point and ultimately the match. You might be thinking at this point, why does all of this make Roger or the game of tennis special to me? Or how does this tie into his recent retirement announcement? Well, before watching that tennis match I had definitely been inspired by certain athletes (Michael Phelps in Beijing, Buster Posey during the San Francisco Giants championship run in 2010), but I can’t recall feeling an urge after watching any of those athletes to go and chase my dreams. During that day in late June, Roger showed me how much fun it can be to do something as simple as hit a ball over a net. He was doing what he loved while enjoying the occasion. This was one of those moments in my life when time was at a standstill. My perception of the fourth dimension changed that day. Those two hours I spent sitting alongside my counselors and friends had felt like a juncture in time where everything was happening slowly. This perfectly tethers to my thoughts on his retirement and what had originally drawn me into becoming a fan of tennis and a fan of Roger.
As with many others, I was heartbroken to hear the news that Federer was retiring from tennis. It took me some time to process and understand the impact of Roger leaving the sport. I clearly remember reading a GQ article titled, “Will Roger Federer Ever Be Done?” after his 2017 success at the Australian Open, in which he had pulled off a miraculous comeback from knee surgery. There was a sense that no matter what Father Time had thrown his way, Roger would somehow continue to defy the odds and win. Though it had become increasingly apparent to me that no matter how many times Federer had done the unthinkable, it was inevitable this would not last for the next ten or fifteen years. That thought made me feel sad, empty, and out of sorts. It’s quite weird…that the thought of someone you admire moving on to a new chapter in life would make you unhappy. Exactly seven years (2019) after my experience watching Federer for the first time, he was still winning on the lawns of Wimbledon, up to his usual tricks. But this time, I had come to appreciate the moment and take in all of its delights not in awe but in appreciation of Federer’s greatness. It was amazing how impenetrable his forehand and serve still were at 37 years old, like he hadn’t missed a beat. In what became an infamous final, Federer ended up losing to Djokovic after holding two match points at 8–7 in the fifth set.
There is a famous quote from a poem written above the entrance of Centre Court at Wimbledon by Rudyard Kipling, which perfectly encapsulates Federer’s attitude. “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.” After such a heartbreaking and nail-biting loss, Roger treated the ceremony all the same and delivered a beautiful speech. A few months later, he went on to win a 10th title in Basel at the Swiss Indoors tournament, where it all started (the Swiss Indoors was the first professional tournament of Federer’s career). If you had told any tennis fan in 1998 that the same 17-year-old kid from Switzerland would go on to win Wimbledon eight times and break almost every record imaginable, they would not believe it. Yet here we are.
Three years later, Federer officially retired in September at the Laver Cup, building the most incredible legacy in tennis history. We may not feel sorrow for what we have lost, but instead, we feel gratitude and happiness for what we have witnessed. What makes Roger truly special to me is how he can make me laugh, smile, and cry all within fifteen minutes. His artistry inspires me and illustrates how important it is to be unique and do what you love.
There is no shortage of nouns and adjectives to describe him.
Icon. Magician. Gentleman. Legend. Hero.
Fearless. Daring. Graceful. Balletic. Stunning.
Yet, if there were just two words to describe the great Roger Federer, well…silky smooth. Silky smooth Roger.
RForever.