Olympic tennis: Upsets expected, even of Federer
Mark Sappenfield | 08.14.08
Tuesday night, Roger Federer was playing the No. 457-ranked player in the world. By the end of the second set of a 6-2, 6-4 win, he was giving away points simply to get the match finished.
The Swiss player’s strategy was clear: He had broken his opponent’s serve, he only had to hold serve himself through the rest of the set and he would win without expending too much energy. It worked. For a night.
Tonight, he lost to American James Blake in what should have been a surprise to no one. Much might be made of his exit from the Olympic tournament. He is an easy target now. But this loss against a fitter, faster player is less an indictment of his form than a confirmation that he is not – and never was – tennis’ iron man.
The Olympic tournament is already scheduled tightly to get it out of the way as soon as possible before the US Open begins on Aug. 25. Players are playing every day. Throw in doubles and rain delays, and some are now playing twice a day – as was Federer.
Wednesday, Federer won two matches, one singles and one doubles. Federer almost never plays doubles. Though he is proficient, Federer playing doubles is a bit like Michael Jordan playing outfield for the Birmingham Barons – it is not somewhere he was ever meant to be.
Yet for love of country, there he is. Tonight, little more than an hour after his singles loss to Blake, Federer was out on the court again to play doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka – sacrificing himself for Switzerland against two doubles specialists from India.
Four games into the match there was another rain delay. Federer sat beneath an umbrella – waiting for the rain to stop – at 1:15 a.m.
If he had beaten Blake, he would have had to play again the following day at 4 p.m. in the singles semifinals.
The Olympics offer an advantage to the fittest players or the freshest players. Federer was never at the top of this list, despite his evident desire to honor his country.
There is no question that Federer is in eclipse at the moment, but these Games are evidence of something other than a general decline.
His heart is in the right place, even if his legs are not.
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2. Chang | 08.14.08
This reporter knows nuts about tennis. Besides the grand slams, what other tournaments let you have the luxury of playing tennis every other day?
3. quayde | 08.14.08
I have to agree with the other two commenter the reporter here clearly doesn’t understand the ATP tennis schedule very well. Due to numerous rain delays in the French, Wimbledon, and Australian Open (just to name a few) players sometimes play within a few hours of their last match. Talent, more importantly, has much more to do with winning than losing. Roger is having a hideous year to date. Blake was just a lucky benefactor this time around. Out of the 8 times they have played, it’s pretty much equivalent to kicking a man when he is down. Roger just happens to be that “down-man”.
5. kim | 08.14.08
i agree with the other comments. The writer if this article clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s like a golf player giving his opinion about water skiing. Please, save yourself the embarrassment next time and stick to things that you actually do have some knowledge about.
6. Mia | 08.14.08
Never was tennis’ iron man? What is this writer on? Didn’t he even check Federer’s record of the last 4 and a half years — the best record that tennis has ever seen?
1) 10 straight Grand Slam finals
2) 17 straight Grand Slam semis
3) Record for consecutive weeks at #1
4) Record for consecutive wins on hard courts and grass courts
5) Record for consecutive tournament wins
Do your research before you spout ****, pal.
7. Dan Scarlett | 08.15.08
The writer is somewhat off the mark about the tour’s schedules, but he is r4ight on about Federer’s nev er having been tennis’ iron man. Here is aa astute comment from The Guardian:
“Federer’s considerable mental strength is, essentially, manufactured. Nadal’s comes naturally .”
8. Vishnu | 08.16.08
It is impossible even attempting to agree with the rather miserly observation from The Guardian. It is less than just too little to believe, absurd kind of….
Just engaging our vision a bit at what Mia has written above, one could wonders if so much could ever be ‘manufactured’(should that be the word to describe it by The Guardian’s standard) again by someone, and that WITHOUT real mental strength. The probables were always most welcome to do so,including the writer of The Guardians article (Sorry Dan, that is a bit too much to burp over), who should then definitely think of a good chance of achieving this feat.Good luck to him though!
I agree that with the author this article that the Champion is not in the best of his form, but that won’t take away any thing that this absolute gentlemanly fighter has given to the game and to the fans. He is a class that has stood it’s test more than many times.
I am confident of his class as indisputably the among the most elegant, gripping, magical and lethal. As for “BULLS” raging and chasing, I don’t know that as class tennis. Form may vary with anyone. I don’t know why should Federer be even given any burden of being an iron man though. He is a great fighter and he takes it to the very distance. Indeed, a rarity in today’s tennis, where punching and volleying and finishing the point at the earliest is the rule.
I wish Federer gives fans many more matches to rejoice in the sport and the sportsmanship that he so graciously has about him.
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1. Michael | 08.14.08
This is just shockingly factually inaccurate. A number of Masters series events - the ones ranked just behind Grand Slam - are played every day. Did you not see the two Masters events played right before the Olympics? Players played every day in Cincinnati and Toronto. And if you play doubles you definitely can play twice a day, even in a Grand Slam. Did you not watch Wimbledon this year? Venus and Serena Williams quite famously played each other in the final right before playing for the doubles final.
I also take issue with the conclusion about Federer’s proficiency in doubles. True, he almost never plays doubles. But he has before given the Bryan twins a tough battle.