Federer the best, but many will never know
By Paul Daugherty
Enquirer staff writer
MASON - After he lost the first set, Andy Roddick's head-down body language suggested he had as much chance against Switzerland's Roger Federer as he did scaling the Matterhorn in a pair of flip-flops.
Roddick looked down in disgust. He looked up for help. He netted a backhand volley and cursed; he missed a forehand return and uttered a primal grunt, like a bear stubbing a toe.
Ultimately, Roddick simply succumbed, like everyone else. Federer doesn't eat opponents in one gulp. He strangles them like a boa constrictor.
You might not like tennis. It's a niche sport that relies on celebrity stars for its popularity. The air went out of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters charisma balloon last Sunday, when Andre Agassi withdrew. Roger Federer is like his home country: Pleasantly neutral, decidedly beige.
Which is too bad. Because without the bells and whistles, not enough people know how good the guy is. Pete Sampras retired two years ago and we believed men's tennis would not produce another savant so quickly. We were wrong.
In dispatching Roddick 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 16 minutes, Federer won his 22nd finals match in a row. He hasn't lost a title match in two years. Roddick, at 23, is considered America's best male tennis hope. Federer has beaten him six consecutive times. In that run, Roddick has won exactly one set. Federer has won three Wimbledon titles in a row, two over Roddick, who now knows how Phil Mickelson feels playing golf in the Age of Tiger.
"It's similar," said Roddick. "Tiger won and that made the other guys elevate their games. That's what Roger's doing right now. I'm a better player than I was two years ago, because I have to be."
Roddick has called Federer "Pete Sampras from another country." That is, his tennis speaks louder than the rest of him.
"I don't think he gets his fair shake, because he's not American," Roddick said. "He's not looking for anything besides winning. Unfortunately, that hasn't been embraced. It's almost like people want more of a story. The guy just wins and goes about his business. For some reason, that's not a good story."
Without a strong American presence, tennis is left to tennis fans. They're a dedicated bunch, but their numbers aren't staggering. Federer's play is good enough we should be considering his career in a historical context. He has five Grand Slam titles already. Only four players have won as many as quickly.
Yet casual sports fans wouldn't know Roger Federer from Roger Rabbit.
"If you met him at McDonald's and didn't know who he was, you'd have no idea he was one of the best athletes in the world," said Roddick.
In the past, this event has relied as much on names suchs as Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and Sampras. Federer is as accomplished as most, yet the mention of his name stirs no one's blood.
His game isn't electric, either: No rocket serves, no racket-banging outbursts. Federer's brilliance borders on subtle. He seems always to be in the right place. He appears to have a radar other players lack. On even Roddick's best efforts - deep, hard forehands, soft touch volleys - Federer was ahead of the ball.
His routine mastery even sucked the life from the sedate, pro-Roddick crowd Sunday. Maybe fans sensed the inevitability, too.
The W & S Masters remains the coolest sporting event in this area. It's the only event for hundreds of miles where you can buy a $12,000 diamond-encrusted tennis necklace and a slice of pizza. It is the only time the world comes to Cincinnati without thinking it has taken a wrong turn.
The tennis isn't bad, either. Sunday was a rematch of the last two Wimbledon finals. If you looked hard enough, you could see green lawns, strawberries and the Queen Mum. OK, maybe you couldn't. But it's always cool to see Cincinnati on the same marquee as Rome, Paris and Shanghai.
And to have the best in the world working here for a week.
Even if he is anonymous in the drive-thru.
Fries with that, Mr. Federer?
By Paul Daugherty
Enquirer staff writer
MASON - After he lost the first set, Andy Roddick's head-down body language suggested he had as much chance against Switzerland's Roger Federer as he did scaling the Matterhorn in a pair of flip-flops.
Roddick looked down in disgust. He looked up for help. He netted a backhand volley and cursed; he missed a forehand return and uttered a primal grunt, like a bear stubbing a toe.
Ultimately, Roddick simply succumbed, like everyone else. Federer doesn't eat opponents in one gulp. He strangles them like a boa constrictor.
You might not like tennis. It's a niche sport that relies on celebrity stars for its popularity. The air went out of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters charisma balloon last Sunday, when Andre Agassi withdrew. Roger Federer is like his home country: Pleasantly neutral, decidedly beige.
Which is too bad. Because without the bells and whistles, not enough people know how good the guy is. Pete Sampras retired two years ago and we believed men's tennis would not produce another savant so quickly. We were wrong.
In dispatching Roddick 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 16 minutes, Federer won his 22nd finals match in a row. He hasn't lost a title match in two years. Roddick, at 23, is considered America's best male tennis hope. Federer has beaten him six consecutive times. In that run, Roddick has won exactly one set. Federer has won three Wimbledon titles in a row, two over Roddick, who now knows how Phil Mickelson feels playing golf in the Age of Tiger.
"It's similar," said Roddick. "Tiger won and that made the other guys elevate their games. That's what Roger's doing right now. I'm a better player than I was two years ago, because I have to be."
Roddick has called Federer "Pete Sampras from another country." That is, his tennis speaks louder than the rest of him.
"I don't think he gets his fair shake, because he's not American," Roddick said. "He's not looking for anything besides winning. Unfortunately, that hasn't been embraced. It's almost like people want more of a story. The guy just wins and goes about his business. For some reason, that's not a good story."
Without a strong American presence, tennis is left to tennis fans. They're a dedicated bunch, but their numbers aren't staggering. Federer's play is good enough we should be considering his career in a historical context. He has five Grand Slam titles already. Only four players have won as many as quickly.
Yet casual sports fans wouldn't know Roger Federer from Roger Rabbit.
"If you met him at McDonald's and didn't know who he was, you'd have no idea he was one of the best athletes in the world," said Roddick.
In the past, this event has relied as much on names suchs as Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and Sampras. Federer is as accomplished as most, yet the mention of his name stirs no one's blood.
His game isn't electric, either: No rocket serves, no racket-banging outbursts. Federer's brilliance borders on subtle. He seems always to be in the right place. He appears to have a radar other players lack. On even Roddick's best efforts - deep, hard forehands, soft touch volleys - Federer was ahead of the ball.
His routine mastery even sucked the life from the sedate, pro-Roddick crowd Sunday. Maybe fans sensed the inevitability, too.
The W & S Masters remains the coolest sporting event in this area. It's the only event for hundreds of miles where you can buy a $12,000 diamond-encrusted tennis necklace and a slice of pizza. It is the only time the world comes to Cincinnati without thinking it has taken a wrong turn.
The tennis isn't bad, either. Sunday was a rematch of the last two Wimbledon finals. If you looked hard enough, you could see green lawns, strawberries and the Queen Mum. OK, maybe you couldn't. But it's always cool to see Cincinnati on the same marquee as Rome, Paris and Shanghai.
And to have the best in the world working here for a week.
Even if he is anonymous in the drive-thru.
Fries with that, Mr. Federer?
