Federer has talent to be the greatest player ever
Nick Bollettieri
14 September 2004
Roger Federer is the most talented tennis player I have ever seen. He has the capacity to become the greatest in history. This conclusion isn't simply a result of his sublime victory over Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's US Open final. It's because, uniquely in the history of tennis, in my opinion, he has no weaknesses at all and such an array of strengths that the world is his for the taking, health and motivation permitting.
Such grand statements need provisos. There will always be "unknowns" that can radically affect progress. An injury could end Federer's career at any time. He may get married, have kids, change his priorities. He may decide that the hard work of maintaining his status as the world's best is no longer for him. Staying there is the hardest part. But make no mistake, Federer has it all. He is as close to tennis perfection as we have seen. Four Slam titles should just be the beginning.
Before explaining how this is different from every former "great", and I mean everyone from Laver and Emerson to Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, Sampras and Agassi, let's consider Federer's brilliance.
His service is superb: powerful, exceptional placement, varied, consistently accurate. Even serving 15-20mph slower than the Roddicks of this world, it can be more punishing.
His forehands are unsurpassed. He has no rival as a shot-maker. He is capable of coruscating brilliance through his ability to make any shot from any area of the court. Some of his play against Hewitt, in a 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 win that broke records galore, was simply breathtaking, with his manipulation of the ball at all angles and speeds at times appearing beyond the laws of physics.
His single-handed backhand is a rare, significant tool. His returns are awesome, flashing. His volleys are basic but executed wonderfully.
Underlying all of these things is his anticipation of the game, which sets him a mile apart. He knows when he hits a shot how and where his opponent is likely to return it. He's ready for his next shot before his opponent has even played. His quickness of mind is matched by his movement.
This whole package started coming to fruition in the summer of 2003 when Federer won his first Slam, Wimbledon. That is when he ultimately started to believe in himself. His composure since has been amazing. He has an aura of calm and assurance that not only helps him but damages others. How? Because he never gets pissed off. If he got pissed off, opponents might take a sliver of inspiration from him being ruffled, or else want to put him in his place.
Some people think it is remarkable that Federer has been without a coach since Peter Lundgren and he parted amicably last year. Roger admits this isn't some trend to put coaches out of business. Many people have helped him, including Lundgren and before him the late Peter Carter, who coached Roger in his formative years. It's just that at the moment, things are working OK, he has various hitting partners, a physio, friends. It works.
Let's hope it continues to work because he can become an all-time great, as dominant or more so in his own era than anyone before. You simply cannot compare tennis today with the '60s and earlier. While the triumphs of Rod Laver and Roy Emerson (23 of the 40 Slams between then from 1960 to 1969) were outstanding, they can't compare to these days of super fitness and toughness and breadth of competition, physical and mental. Ditto the '70s era of Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith.
So we come to the "modern greats" and each had weaknesses. Pete Sampras, arguably the greatest player to date, had a weakness with return of serve on the backhand side. McEnroe and Connors lacked killer forehands. Ivan Lendl had an inability to finish off points, was insecure at the net and changed his game to try to win Wimbledon, something he failed to do.
Bjorn Borg had hardly any weaknesses but could not consistently hurt opponents with his groundstrokes. His 11 Slams all came at Wimbledon and in Paris, showing perhaps that on hard courts he was less effective at running down balls than on other surfaces. He also struggled under New York's lights. Andre Agassi, the only player in recent decades to win all four Slams in his career, has never had the big serve and never properly took advantage of his gifts until he was 27.
Federer is making the most of his. He is, right now, untouchable. His head is in the right place. He appreciates what he has, and his humility may yet be his stepping stone to greatness. "I'm still at the beginning," he said yesterday. "The road is long, there's a lot of hard work to do and you never know when the day might arrive that you are sick of travelling.
"I'm grateful for every tournament I win. You never know when it might be your last."
Not any time soon, we all must hope. Roger Federer is a special, perhaps unique, breed.
Swiss on a roll: the records
• The last time both singles' finals were won in straight sets was back in 1884.
• The last time the opening set of the US Open final was won 6-0 was in 1903.
• Federer became the first man to win three majors in a year since 1988.
• Federer is the first player to win consecutive Grand Slam events since Andre Agassi won the 1999 US Open and 2000 Australian Open.
• Federer has won all four Grand Slam finals in which he has played. The first player since 1968 to do so.
Nick Bollettieri
14 September 2004
Roger Federer is the most talented tennis player I have ever seen. He has the capacity to become the greatest in history. This conclusion isn't simply a result of his sublime victory over Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's US Open final. It's because, uniquely in the history of tennis, in my opinion, he has no weaknesses at all and such an array of strengths that the world is his for the taking, health and motivation permitting.
Such grand statements need provisos. There will always be "unknowns" that can radically affect progress. An injury could end Federer's career at any time. He may get married, have kids, change his priorities. He may decide that the hard work of maintaining his status as the world's best is no longer for him. Staying there is the hardest part. But make no mistake, Federer has it all. He is as close to tennis perfection as we have seen. Four Slam titles should just be the beginning.
Before explaining how this is different from every former "great", and I mean everyone from Laver and Emerson to Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, Sampras and Agassi, let's consider Federer's brilliance.
His service is superb: powerful, exceptional placement, varied, consistently accurate. Even serving 15-20mph slower than the Roddicks of this world, it can be more punishing.
His forehands are unsurpassed. He has no rival as a shot-maker. He is capable of coruscating brilliance through his ability to make any shot from any area of the court. Some of his play against Hewitt, in a 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 win that broke records galore, was simply breathtaking, with his manipulation of the ball at all angles and speeds at times appearing beyond the laws of physics.
His single-handed backhand is a rare, significant tool. His returns are awesome, flashing. His volleys are basic but executed wonderfully.
Underlying all of these things is his anticipation of the game, which sets him a mile apart. He knows when he hits a shot how and where his opponent is likely to return it. He's ready for his next shot before his opponent has even played. His quickness of mind is matched by his movement.
This whole package started coming to fruition in the summer of 2003 when Federer won his first Slam, Wimbledon. That is when he ultimately started to believe in himself. His composure since has been amazing. He has an aura of calm and assurance that not only helps him but damages others. How? Because he never gets pissed off. If he got pissed off, opponents might take a sliver of inspiration from him being ruffled, or else want to put him in his place.
Some people think it is remarkable that Federer has been without a coach since Peter Lundgren and he parted amicably last year. Roger admits this isn't some trend to put coaches out of business. Many people have helped him, including Lundgren and before him the late Peter Carter, who coached Roger in his formative years. It's just that at the moment, things are working OK, he has various hitting partners, a physio, friends. It works.
Let's hope it continues to work because he can become an all-time great, as dominant or more so in his own era than anyone before. You simply cannot compare tennis today with the '60s and earlier. While the triumphs of Rod Laver and Roy Emerson (23 of the 40 Slams between then from 1960 to 1969) were outstanding, they can't compare to these days of super fitness and toughness and breadth of competition, physical and mental. Ditto the '70s era of Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith.
So we come to the "modern greats" and each had weaknesses. Pete Sampras, arguably the greatest player to date, had a weakness with return of serve on the backhand side. McEnroe and Connors lacked killer forehands. Ivan Lendl had an inability to finish off points, was insecure at the net and changed his game to try to win Wimbledon, something he failed to do.
Bjorn Borg had hardly any weaknesses but could not consistently hurt opponents with his groundstrokes. His 11 Slams all came at Wimbledon and in Paris, showing perhaps that on hard courts he was less effective at running down balls than on other surfaces. He also struggled under New York's lights. Andre Agassi, the only player in recent decades to win all four Slams in his career, has never had the big serve and never properly took advantage of his gifts until he was 27.
Federer is making the most of his. He is, right now, untouchable. His head is in the right place. He appreciates what he has, and his humility may yet be his stepping stone to greatness. "I'm still at the beginning," he said yesterday. "The road is long, there's a lot of hard work to do and you never know when the day might arrive that you are sick of travelling.
"I'm grateful for every tournament I win. You never know when it might be your last."
Not any time soon, we all must hope. Roger Federer is a special, perhaps unique, breed.
Swiss on a roll: the records
• The last time both singles' finals were won in straight sets was back in 1884.
• The last time the opening set of the US Open final was won 6-0 was in 1903.
• Federer became the first man to win three majors in a year since 1988.
• Federer is the first player to win consecutive Grand Slam events since Andre Agassi won the 1999 US Open and 2000 Australian Open.
• Federer has won all four Grand Slam finals in which he has played. The first player since 1968 to do so.
