Federer's 13 wins was a nod by his peers and his compatriots to the way he conducted himself, not just his skills with the racquet.Īnd then there Federer the Funny Guy. It almost seemed like they were buddies first, and Australian Open finalists later.īefore Federer came along, no one had won the sportsmanship award - which started in 1977 - more than five times. I tried to think of any previous (or, now, even subsequent) instance of such an occurrence, but I couldn't think of any. Just from the pictures alone, it was tough to figure out who the winner was. He leaned forward, shoulders hunched, while Gonzalez sat in his chair, and the two conversed in what looked like an everyday friendly evening chat for several minutes before they were called up for the trophy presentation. Instead, it was this: After the match, in the interval ahead of the beginning of the presentation, Federer went over casually to Gonzalez's chair for a chat. He defeated Fernando Gonzalez in the final, but the moment that stood out for me wasn't one of the many dazzling winners from his racquet. Federer was in God-mode through that tournament, winning all seven matches in straight sets (including a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 demolition of Roddick in the semi-final, which counts among his best matches ever for the sheer quality of his shot-making). One moment sticks out for me in this regard, in the 2007 Australian Open. If you met him at McDonald's and you didn't know who he was, you'd have no idea he's one of the best athletes in the world." Andy Roddick, who lost to him 21 times in 24 matches, including in four Grand Slam finals, articulated this more than once: "I've told him before 'I'd love to hate you, but you're really nice'". Through the early period of his domination, there were any number of quotes from fellow players about how 'nice' he was. That elevated him from 'merely' a great player to someone that fans could relate to, despite his incredible racquet skills that were anything but relatable. Most importantly, he was entirely comfortable being himself and displaying his emotions in front of thousands, both after winning and losing. Good luck to any player trying to break either of those two records.Ĭombining beautiful tennis with the art of winning is difficult enough, but Federer brought along a third aspect which made him irresistible: a personality that was warm, genuine and affable, but also goofy and ridiculously relaxed. He won it 13 times: six times in a row from 2004 to 2009, and then seven in a row from 2011 to 2017 (Rafael Nadal won it in 2010). Even in the years when he barely played any matches, he was still the fan favourite. And then there was the ATP Sportsmanship award, which is voted on by the players. There are two non-title numbers, though, worth highlighting: 19, and 13.įrom 2003 to 2021, Federer won the ATP Fan Favourite award - voted by fans online - every single year, 19 times (I was among those who voted in at least 10 of those years). Tennis players are usually measured by their success on court, and while Federer had plenty of that it doesn't really illustrate the phenomenon that he was. Beyond all the matches and the Grand Slams he won, beyond even the sheer artistry with which he played the game, Federer's tennis journey has always been intertwined with a special and unexplainable bond with his fans, and a special camaraderie with his fellow players. The speaker wants to know if he needs to speak slower or louder to insure the message is received.Ī typical response might be "I read you 5 by 5" where the first number indicates the strength of the signal on a scale of 1 to 5 and the second number indicates the quality of the signal (how much noise there is).You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserġ9 and 13: The underrated numbers that define Roger Federer's legacyįriday night's utterly unique and emotional farewell to Roger Federer was just perfect, for it brought together the two aspects about the legend that separates him from just about every other tennis player. So the question "how (well) do you read (my transmission)" is asking for an indication of quality. When using electronic voice communication, it is useful to know the quality of the signal being received. The use of the word "read" in spoken radio transmissions was used to ask "how well is my message being received"
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