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Federer-Guy with the guts
Federer is a fine man. You don't have to be an avid tennis fan to know that. He is that kind of a man who knows exactly what he's doing.
From the time he ousted the peerless Pete Sampras, Federer has retained his originality and played amazingly well. His game posseses a great synthesis - one where athletism and aesthetic arrogance mix, similar to a scientist proving that he too can draw a picture.
The guy he beat in the finals, Marat Safin, was one of his pals, in the sense that both belonged to the young era, the upcoming era of aggression, grit and determination, to herald a whole new outlook in what I will undoubtedly call
the most beautiful sport on earth.
The recent Australian Open was a significant success story, at least for Federer. It came across as a tennis tournament where one man played with the self belief one associates with true champions, and that man had the heart of an explorer who probes on and on, seeking new vistas and openings, digging deep into the game he is so fond of. Roger Federer is doing fine.
 If the late Peter Carter, the former coach of Federer, had been out there at the Aussie Open, he would have been proud. A dedicated pupil, playing tennis at the greatest level with simple panache and astonishing
elan.
"He reminds me of Pete," said John McEnroe, not long ago. Wheter this will be true cannot be told now, because Pete holds that special place in all tennis-lovers' hearts, similar to the Don in cricket.
Srinivasa
Ramanujam
Published on 5th Feb, 2004
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