Tennis Nearer the Gods…
Tushar Prasad
It’s finals night. The television is blaring and me, a then nineteen-year-old, glued to the screen. Two players take their mark at the baseline. On one end is the Spanish bull getting ready to begin his service motion. On the other end is the Swiss maestro, racquet twirling in his hands, waiting expectantly…
The ball is served, and the point ensues. Immediately, the Swiss is on the backfoot. The Spaniard crushes his forehand with his signature heavy topspin and the Swiss scrambles across the back of the court to get the ball back in play.
But get the ball back in play, he does. A series of forehand exchanges follows down the middle of the court. The two titans are locked in a war of attrition, each man unyielding in his mission to wear the other down. The Spaniard hits a couple of balls into the Swiss’ backhand. The Swiss fires a bullet of a single hander and suddenly, it’s the Spaniard on the backfoot. He scrambles left and right along the baseline. The Swiss moves the Spaniard out of the court before firing a forehand down the line. The point is over…no it’s not! The Spaniard is there, and he somehow gets the ball back in play. Another stalemate ensues. The two players blister the ball cross court. The Swiss’ forehand against the Spaniard’s backhand. Ice against fire. A murmur of disbelief permeates the stadium. The commentators chuckle. What else can you do? Then suddenly, the Spaniard hits a vicious backhand with tremendous speed and with brilliant angle and it looks like the point is over yet again. But of course, it isn’t! The Swiss takes two quick steps to his right, takes the ball on the half-volley and fires it down the line. There’s no recovery from that and the crowd knows it. An eruption of a seismic scale reverberates around Rod Laver Arena and the pundits sitting in the commentators’ box can only exclaim, “Ridiculous!”
And amidst it all, Roger Federer looks at his players box, right hand raised in a fist pump, with a steely look of determination in his eyes.
It’s something that’s come to be known as a ‘Federer moment,’ a term that was initially reported by David Foster Wallace in his 2006 article, Roger Federer as a Religious Experience. For anyone who’s interested in the mechanics of the sport, how the game has changed over the years, and what it is that makes Roger Federer the most decorated male player on the ATP tour, the article is a must-read.
Keep in mind, however, that the article was initially published in 2006, a year when the then twenty-five-year-old Swiss great was at the height of his powers and seemingly unstoppable. Fast forward to 2020, and the man is still playing the highest brand of tennis, making deep runs at grand slam tournaments. He has accumulated a staggering twenty grand slam titles along the way and a record 310 weeks at World No. 1. I think we can establish then that David Foster Wallace’s commentary on Federer has stood the test of time indeed. But then again, so much as changed over the years.
One of them of course, is the rise of two other players who most definitely deserve to receive the same love and adulation that Federer still enjoys today. Rafael Nadal receives a cursory mention in the aforementioned article. Back then he had two major titles to his name, both of them at the French Open. Fast forward to 2020, and we have a legend of the sport who has nineteen major titles to his name, just one behind Federer and a mind boggling twelve - I repeat, TWELVE - titles on the red dirt at Roland Garros. To put that into perspective, that isn’t just one of the greatest achievements in tennis, it’s one of the greatest achievements in all of sport and one that might not ever be surpassed.
And of course, there’s the Superstar from Serbia whose dominance in recent years is almost unparalleled. Some of Novak Djokovic’s achievements include seventeen major titles, a record eight Australian Open titles, over 280 weeks at World No. 1, third only to Roger Federer and Pete Sampras (only one week behind Sampras), the only player in history to win every single ATP 1000 tournament since its inception and only the third player in history to hold all four major titles at once.
Pick any one of these players and read out their credentials. I’m sure you’ll realise how much they’ve elevated the sport of men’s tennis to stunning new heights. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the debate on who of these three is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) is well and truly a hot topic. It’s difficult to decide on who the greatest is, especially when considering players these days are able to play and make shots at a level that would have been deemed impossible just a few decades ago. In fact, one article even asserts that, “no other sport has experienced the kind of changes that tennis has in the last 30-40 years.” What we can do, at least from the perspective of a casual but avid observer such as myself, is try and understand what makes these players the formidable forces they are.
Eli Saslow’s fantastic article Freak of nurture, provides a stunning insight into what makes these players so great. Saslow particularly focuses on Djokovic and his militant training regime and the specific details that are considered in every aspect of his professional life. This includes his gluten-free diet, his steadfast training sessions, and even the temperature of the water he drinks in the middle of his matches (always lukewarm since cold water sits in the stomach a tad too long). I suppose it’s this attention to detail which has allowed him to turn the tide against his fiercest rivals. There was once a time when Djokovic’s progress would be frequently hindered by a dominant Federer or Nadal. Now he leads the head to head against both these players. 27-23 against Federer and 29-26 against Nadal.
There’s one particular quote from Saslow regarding Djokovic’s loss to Nadal at the 2012 French Open finals which really resonated with me:
‘As Nadal ran into the stands to celebrate with his family, Djokovic sat alone on the court, his eyes on Nadal, as if collecting motivation for the months ahead. "Everything in life is a lesson," he later said.’
I don’t know Novak Djokovic personally. I don’t think Saslow does either. But you know what? I think Saslow’s interpretation of that moment could not be any more accurate. How many times have we seen the great man come back from the brink of defeat to wrestle a match back under his control in recent times? (Mention the score line 8-7, 40-15 to any Federer fan and you might see a haunted look come over their eyes, a sigh of frustration or an annoyed shake of the head. Mention the same score line to a Djokovic fan and you’ll probably bear witness to a beaming grin or an exclamation of delight).
It would be another three years since Saslow’s article was published for Djokovic to dethrone Nadal on the red dirt at Roland Garros (only Nadal’s SECOND loss at Roland Garros in his entire career), and an additional year for him to finally claim his lone title at Roland Garros to complete his own Career Grand slam. In my mind, or at least as long as I have been actively watching the sport, I don’t think there is another player on tour that possesses the mental fortitude that Djokovic has.
Don’t believe me? Have a read of Djokovic’s post-match conference after his victory over Federer at the finals of Wimbledon 2019, a match I have already alluded to earlier in this piece. Not only was Djokovic against an on-song Federer, he was up against Federer AND a capacity crowd at the All England Club who was salivating at the idea of the Swiss lifting his 21st major title. And he very nearly did. Two opportunities came and went on the Swiss’s serve. And then Djokovic, in true Djokovic fashion came back to win the match in a final set tiebreak in what is now the longest Wimbledon Final in history. Of course, this wasn’t the only occasion where the Serb bounced back from defeat to turn the tide against his Swiss foe (2010 and 2011 US Open Semi-finals anyone?). And how exactly did he deal with the fact that a vast majority of the crowd was on Federer’s side?
“When the crowd is chanting Roger, I hear Novak.”
The special moments that these players have blessed us with are truly innumerable. Who can forget the 5-hour 53-minute crusade that was the 2012 Australian Open Finals (Djokovic vs Nadal)? Who can forget the wildly entertaining and nail-biting encounter that was the 2019 Wimbledon finals (Djokovic vs Federer)? And who, in fact, can ever forget the 2008 Wimbledon Finals (Nadal vs Federer)? A match where Nadal dethroned Federer and snapped his 5-year win streak at Wimbledon? A match where Nadal ascended to World No. 1 for the first time, a match that is commonly regarded as the greatest tennis match ever played?
There have been many legends of the past that have shaped and elevated the sport throughout the years. Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, and Bjon Borg just to name a few. And there is no doubt in my mind that the accomplishments of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic will further elevate the game to stunning new heights for the years to come. Will there be a similar trifecta that will dominate the ATP circuit in the future? Maybe. Maybe not. As these men reach the twilight of their careers, I for one know that I will take every opportunity to watch them carry out their all-out assault on the tennis court. I will be dazzled at the Swiss’s balletic performance every time he steps out on court. My jaw will drop to the floor after the Spaniard hits an extra-terrestrial passing shot from the back of the court followed by his signature fist pump and a bellow of ‘Vamos!’ I will laugh delightedly as I watch the Serb contort his body in ways which should be impossible, chasing down balls left and right before somehow, somewhere, turning defence into offence and winning a point that should never have been his in the first place.
For it hasn’t simply been captivating to watch these players over the years, it’s been a privilege.
In the words of Robbie Koenig; “This is tennis nearer the gods, no mortal may approach...”
Sources :
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/sports/playmagazine/20federer.html
https://www.essentialtennis.com/the-evolution-of-tennis/
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-career-golden-masters-cincinnati-2018
https://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/record?recordId=WeeksAtATPNo1
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/atp-head-2-head/roger-federer-vs-novak-djokovic/F324/D643
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/atp-head-2-head/rafael-nadal-vs-novak-djokovic/N409/D643