It hurts to post that image. Its hard to know what to say about today besides that it confirms again both Rafa's grit and his incredible class and sportsmanship. On Roger's tears, he said:"It was an emotional moment, and I think this also lifts up sport, to see a great champion like Federer expressing his emotions. It shows his human side. But in these moments, when you see a rival, who is also a comrade, feeling like this, you enjoy the victory a little bit less."
I don't know what else to say about Federer's tears. They are much tougher to witness when they come after a loss, and it does seem to steal some of the joy from Rafa. I really believe that it was the introduction of Laver and the other "legends" that put him over the edge, but Roger claimed in the presser that he just hates to lose.
The fact that it was Roger's serve that let him down most seems to imply that he really just does let something go screwy in his head when playing Nadal. Brutal stuff today. But great tennis. These guys are great for the sport. I hope they do it again in France.
3 comments:
Amazingly, Fed won the second set 6-3 serving around 35% first serves. Still, it's obvious the serve was off.
To me the contest looked like it was being played on clay, with Roger hitting what seemed like 15 grueling backhands to every one forehand, almost never slicing. It's almost as if he tries to prove that his backhand is not the weaker shot. Nevertheless, Nadal uses the same strategy and it seems to work.
For me it was not a nice match to watch because Federer appeared uncomfortable the whole match. It seems that the discomfort even starts to infect Nadal. With all that pressure, it is understandable that Federer just fell apart in the end. In fact, he fell apart right in the beginning!
Roger was crying because it is in his nature to do so when frustrated. Before he was a cool, sublimely confident tennis giant, he was a "very sad person, crying all the time" (I paraphrase his words). He has a volatile temperament that he reigned in to become a champion. The result was he was no longer frustrated. But then along came Nadal who frustrates Federer. Federer thought he had his problem with frustration licked, but this match in particular seems to suggest otherwise.
If you ask me, this is pathetic. I understand Roger is competitive. And to lose this match probably signified the realization to himself that he is no longer the best player in the world. However, did McEnroe cry when it was clear Lendl had taken his title? Did Jordan cry in 95 when he screwed up vs Orlando? How about Tiger when he came up short in the Masters a few years ago? Pathetic.
Every athlete experiences wins and losses w/o crying. The more memorable displays of affection in sports come when despite the great achievement of winning the game/match/tournament, it is secondary to a deeper story. Personally, sports is sports and I try not to get caught up in external stories. But who could forget Tiger hugging Steve Williams after he won the British in 2006 shortly after his father succumbed to cancer? Or President Bush's first pitch at Yankees Stadium after 9/11. Those were inspiring moments.
For the Australian Open, there have been 2 such unforgettable moments. The Pete Sampras Jim Courier match in 95 when Sampras was overcome w/ emotion during the match after his coach, Tim Gullikson, collapsed earlier that week from brain cancer. And Monica Seles's first and only grand slam championship in 96 after being stabbed. A possible 3rd moment could be when Patrick McEnroe made the semis with Lendl, Edberg, and Becker. (Joking) The point is, if Sampras or Seles had lost those matches and still broke down, it would still be moving. Roger cried cause he lost the match. I don't feel inspired.
Great comments and great pic in the original post. I do not like to see him crying. It is not that he was retiring after this match and this was his last chance to tie Sampras. Sad.
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