Anyone else get the chills reading Roger Federer’s Facebook update last week?
“I just finished my vacation after the ATP Finals in London and had a very nice and relaxing break. I started working out again today and I am looking forward to a lot hard work in the next weeks to get ready for 2010. Next year will be very exciting…..”
What does Roger mean, “exciting”? Exciting like “Mirka’s having triplets!” ? Like “I’m going to shove a ball down someone’s f’ing throat!”? Or maybe “I’m going to win the Grand Slam next year but all my matches are going five sets!” ? Honestly, after the drama of Roger’s 2009, almost anything else will be a letdown.
We started our look back at “Fedophile Moments of 2009″ with last January’s Australian Open, which will forever be known in Fed Fan circles as The Trophy Ceremony from Hell. As bad as it was, as least it was easy to understand. Roger simply broke down at a very emotional moment in front of a packed arena. Some said he was being a sore loser, the rest of us – including Nadal – saw it as proof of Roger’s great love for the game. But the months that followed were strange days, indeed, with alternating highs and lows, mixed messages and broken connections. Sometimes I felt like shaking Roger by the shoulders and saying: “Hello, Roger?! Is anybody home????” (But of course I remained polite – click here.)
If the Australian Open final made us blue, the news that Roger Federer was subsequently pulling out of both February’s Dubai tournament and then the following month’s Davis Cup tie vs. U.S.A. made us agitated. The message on his website offered a vague excuse about “precautionary measures” for his back – even staunch Fed Fans (especially the ones with hotel reservations in Birmingham) wondered if this was a selfish act of self-preservation going into the Indian Wells/Miami swing.
The move made journo Peter Bodo declare that Roger was in the final stage of his career, after the early fight to the top and the middle Golden Stage of winning everything in sight :
“At the third stage, a champion jettisons baggage like his sense of obligation to The Game; he may thumb his nose at the rules of engagement that he once embraced, and he sometimes turns his back on people (including fans) who hang on his every word. He realizes something that he knew all along, but could afford to ignore when he was flush with youth, ambition, skill, and predatory eyes: I’m in this for myself; I can’t afford to belong to everybody anymore, because that extra major or two is worth more than all that other stuff combined. . .” (Tennis.com, February 26)
I’d love to argue with Bodo, but then again, Roger did win that extra major or two this year. One sticking point – it’s ridiculous to question Roger’s obligation to The Game at this point. He’s such a major part of The Game that his careful self-preservation is a crucial contribution to the sport, not a selfish calculation.
But just as things were getting really gloomy in Fedlandia, a ray of dazzling Australian sunshine broke through the clouds. Yes, I’m talking about Darren Cahill:
“The speculation is over in Dubai: Federer is working with Cahill. The Swiss, who is taking a timeout in order to spare his back, is testing his new coach in the desert.”
Federer’s IMG Manager Tony Godsick confirmed: “Yes, the two have met in Dubai and played a few balls together.” More specifically: “It is a test for both. One can not yet say whether it will be something long term. They work together now and see how it works out.” (via Blick, March 5th)
“Long live Fedhill!” we cried, positive, in our naivete, that this pairing was more Brangelina than Bennifer. But alas, the two split just a week later, these two tennis dreamboats making even the most tenuous Hollywood love matches look wise and well-considered in comparison.
My favorite headline was from the March 11th International Herald Tribune: “After Flirting with Cahill, Federer is still without a coach.”
(Perhaps Roger decided he was already getting enough advice for free. John McEnroe: “I would really like to help Roger. Especially as he needs to change his strategy if he wants to beat (Rafael Nadal). And I have an idea about that.” Boris Becker: “What he needs to change is his attitude towards Nadal. I’m always surprised at how nice he is. He can like him off the court but only there.” (click here for more from B.B. Socrates – good stuff, looking back.) And Nick Bollettieri: “Maybe he needs somebody who kicks him in the ass and says to him: Hey, you’re the best, you will win!” )
Darren Cahill cited family reasons for the split, said Roger’s agent: “I think he realized that just being on the road 20-plus weeks would be too tough a go for him with his young family.”
Did somebody say “young family”? A day after the Fedhill split sent us reeling, Roger laid this on us (RF.com, March 12):
Dear Fans
I arrived in Indian Wells earlier this week and I am eager to get back out on court. My back is feeling much better and I am ready to go.
I also have some really awesome news to share with all of you: Mirka and I are excited to let you know that we will be parents this summer! Mirka is pregnant and we are so happy to be starting a family together. This is a dream come true for us.We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well.
Speak soon and thanks for all your continued support!
Roger
Bodo posted his own “gut reaction” the next day: “Roger needs more complications now like he needs a hole in the head.”
Are you telling me that even just a little teeny tiny part of you didn’t think exactly the same thing? Here’s my headline a week later, after Roger’s frustrating loss to Andy Murray in the Indian Wells semifinals: “Has Federer’s Brain Turned to Baby Food?”
Roger was the only one not panicking. Here he is in Miami:
“Of course I was disappointed the way the match ended in Australia, also how it ended at Indian Wells. But at the same time it’s not the end of the world.”
“I know how I have to play Rafa. I’ve beat him enough to know.”
“I’m sure I’m still going to be very, very focused in the game of tennis (as a father). That’s what Mirka wants, anyway, as well”
But then Roger regressed to his junior days:
That was Roger unraveling to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. It was the beginning of April, but the madness of March continued.
After the match, Roger Federer surprised us with these words: “Thank God the hard court season is over.”
If we hadn’t been so shocked, we might have taken comfort in this:
“It’s the end of the hard court season. . .I’m moving over to clay, a new chapter.“
More on that new chapter to come. . .
Tags: Darren Cahill, Federer, Indian Wells, Miami Open, Nadal, tennis
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Are we there yet?! Are we there yet?! Yer know, May, June, July … The fun parts!
March was awfully gloomy.
I remember those days too well. I was one of those who had tickets to the U.S.-Switzerland Davis Cup tie, and I was very disappointed not to see Roger in person. Then, I had to watch him disintegrate on my tiny computer screen (no Tennis Channel coverage) first in Indian Wells and then in Miami. The early clay court season wasn’t much better, if I recall correctly. But, I’m getting ahead of the story. I’ll wait for the next installment…
BTW, I love the term “Fedlandia.”
I think someone else came up with it first. Anyone want to claim Fedlandia?
I must admit that these were some tough months. Dootsiez is right — we want May! We want May!
But isn’t it fun to wallow in the miserable parts, knowing how quickly it all changed? I especially like to read all the naysayers columns knowing that Roger made all 4 Major finals and won the French, Wimbledon and finished the year at No. 1!!!! (And without hiring Darren Cahill or John McEnroe. But what a good move it would have been for Darren to take the job – we’d all be praising him for getting Roger to 15! But now we know that Roger didn’t need no stinkin’ celebrity coach.)
It’s just amazing what a nutty year Roger has had. And I’m not even getting into the dramas of Nadal and Sharapova fans. What a year!
Yes, I agree that it was much better that Roger didn’t hire a coach after all. At least we won’t hear that particular complaint against him this year!
Your retrospective of Roger’s year makes me realize just how crazy it all was! When Roger won Madrid, I just sat there blubbering like an idiot. I think it was because of all the drama, all the criticism, and most of all the people who seemed almost eager to watch him crash and burn. That’s one thing I don’t understand at all!
Rog’s racquet-smashing was my gasp out loud moment. I’d never seen him do that before and it shocked me, I must have replayed it a dozen times.
Gotta admit, I wondered if his career was going to continue on it’s downward spiral as spring continued….
The rest of that comment will be saved for the next installment.
“It’s just amazing what a nutty year Roger has had. And I’m not even getting into the dramas of Nadal and Sharapova fans. What a year!”
Yes, indeed, what a year! I love all the tennis drama, maybe that’s why I support Novak, ha ha…
we should be able to roll with the punches by now. remember 2008? mono fed losing to nole in the AO semi, barely getting any games off nadal at FO, epic wimby GMOAT 6 in a row stopped by rafa, losing #1, tough hard court season, but victory with stan at the olympics and a gutsy 5th in a row USO win.
fed had another roller coaster ride season! this one was waaay sweeter, but still, we should be used to the drama, shouldn’t we? though i’d prefer and expect him to win every time, he is human and i love that we get to see the scrappier, vulnerable, emotional sides of fed too. i love when he’s dominant, in full flow and kicking ass, but i admire him for coming back from adversity and showing everyone what he’s really made of. i don’t love him being 2 sets down or blowing a 3rd and yes the drama and errors kill me sometimes, but still, he can find a way to win, go to another gear. his game is still a thing of beauty! he just needs to be more proactive because no one is going to give him free pts anymore just because he’s the federer and GOAT. the young guys are getting stronger and more confident. i think that his personal milestones could have been a distraction (and maybe they were temporarily jan-april) but then they also seemed to lift him and pushed him to finally win the FO, wimby and regain the #1. we ask and expect a lot of him, but his story continues to amaze and we are lucky to be in the fed era. i will support him no matter what, even if i am cursing at the tv when he misses a forehand!
thanks ff!
Great post, Judy. I agree totally. In the next few years, we’ll see more of the scrappy Fed from 09 and less of the gorgeous, dominant Fed from 05-07. I hope there will still be times when gorgeous shines through, but I think the next few years will be stressful for Fed fans.
thanks! i appreciate your nice and positive feedback re: my comments.
he’ll always be gorgeous, right?
he’s not getting any younger in tennis years, so it will not be the flawless, ruthless fed, but he loves the game so much and still wants to rack up those GS wins, so he’s training hard and being even smarter about his schedule, physical, mental and family needs. we should still see some brilliance, especially once ‘the mighty babes’ are in the player’s box. i am waiting for the future mama kim c-like moment when mirka and the twin gals join him on court post GS win! a gal can dream, right?
i agree w/u judy. fed is human. what i think he also displays as a champion is his way of moving thru adversity. also, rog does have a coach…..remember severin luthi anyone?????? i love that 2010 will be an exciting year. that’s how life should be. i’m hanging in w/rog good, bad and the ugly. i’m sure there will be plenty of all 3.
thnx ff…fun post.
Great post once again, ff!
Yeah, what a rollercoaster year 2009 was – not just for Fed… After the AO floodgate, and these first five months of 2009, I must admit I indeed thought Fed’s era would come to an end this year. Well, 2009 must be the perfect example of – you just never can tell what will happen.
And that racket smash – well, a 9/10 from me. Fantastic demolition, great job. Only Safin could beat him at that!
awww… just when i thought i was getting over marat’s absence, you had to bring up the racquet smashing! safin was GOAT in that dept.
f gonzo may be #2 because of his smashing (and line call) antics. i’ve seen it live and it’s awesome. was it miami or indian wells when fed played gonzo and gonzo went to town on a racquet, which even cracked mr. fed up?
that was a pretty kick ass racquet ‘demo’ in miami. i remember gasping when it happened. i even love the way he flung the broken racquet towards his chair and the ball kid was about to throw it out, but then fed wanted it. he gave it to a friend of his after. that should be in a museum, though i don’t the int’l tennis hall of fame would display it. they already have some of fed’s nike kits, shoes and racquet from FO and wimby this year.
Sorry for bringing up Marat, that was unthoughtful of me!
Yeah, Gonzo might well be #2 in that regard. But we all know who was #1 for a very long time in the early stages of his career… no other than Roger himself!
Oh I remember being really shocked when it happened. Couldn’t believe my eyes, and I was pretty worried of seeing signs of the ‘old’ Roger coming back… but of course, fortunately, that didn’t happen. So now I can just laugh about it and even enjoy it. A pretty kick ass racquet ‘demo’ as you called it!
Nice to read he gave it to a friend thereafter. Wonder when it appears on e-Bay and wonder how much people will be willing to pay for it, LOL.
great stuff, ff.
although i want to be an optimist, i know we must take into consideration the fact that Fed is past his prime, and we still have some disappointments ahead of us. i can only assume that his decline will be as gracefull as his peak, and he will collect few more slams along the way.
the ATP web site has listed the players of the decade; can you guess who occupies the 1st and 2nd spot….????
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2009/12/Decade-In-Review-Players.aspx
fb, thanks for sharing that article. i got chills! of course fed tops the list and i love how fed is mentioned in practically every player’s blurb, since he’s the yardstick by which tennis greatness in this decade is measured. the only one that’s sort of tough to read is roddick’s. many times fed has denied him a GS. after the epic wimby this year, i might be ok if andy won another GS from fed, should they come face to face again. seeing agassi’s stats from this decade gives me hope that fed will be able to play at the highest level for several more years, especially since he’s an even more gifted and complete player.
fed has that mentality to absorb lossess, work out challenges and win. when that doesn’t happen anymore i’ll probably get to watch him beating up everyone on the senior tour
I can hardly wait for Roger on the senior tour! Maybe I’ll get to see him from closer than the nosebleed section of the US Open where I caught him for the first time this summer. Of course, I’ll be a genuine senior by then and probably won’t be able to climb the stairs to my seat…
We are lucky indeed to live in the Fed era because he’s simply a maestro. But we’re also lucky to live in an era where Nadal, Novak, Murray and Delpo exist. Without them tennis would be so booooring and Fed wouldn’t be who he is if it wasn’t for those guys that challenge him. Don’t you agree? I’m ambivalent towards Fed because unlike many of you I became a fan of tennis thanks to Djokovic and even though I appreciate the sublime art of Roger, I love to see the other guys winning, mainly Novak and Nadal. Because they also deserve their place in history. Don’t be greedy Fed fans, he’s already in the history books as the best tennis player ever.
I was one of the fans who was pissed the Cahill deal fell through. In fact, that’s how I discovered your blog when someone on RF.com posted your article. Well I hope Cahill is having fun coaching Verdasco
The media made such a big deal about Roger’s racket smash even though he’s done it before. Who cares if he broke a racket, he also broke Pete’s record and won Roland Garros! It’s nice re-reading the doom and gloom articles of Fed. They depressed me at the time but now looking back they’re kinda funny.
Glad you found me, jfk! Thanks for being such a loyal reader and commenter!
I remember Roger beat Nando pretty handily in Indian Wells, with Darren Cahill watching. I definitely got a kick out of that!
I agree – it’s really fun to re-read some of the doom and gloom (including stuff I wrote) as well as some of the other players’ thoughts. I have to say, both Becker and Bollettieri were pretty on-target with their comments. I think they understand the champion’s mind better than most.