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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:17:35 GMT -5
Yeah and I've always wanted to go to Prague. I've heard and read that its such a nice place, so of course I want to check it out for myself! Mmm its cold in Scandinavia though? Well actually no I think its extremely cold in the winter and quite pleasant in the summer. Land bridge to Russia I've told you before from experience, Russians are slavedrivers! And I think they have more than one language in Finland. Well I think its more of a Finnish dialect. I cant remember the name of it though. But yeah, Im not sure how many of them would speak English
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 14:28:24 GMT -5
Mmm its cold in Scandinavia though? Well actually no I think its extremely cold in the winter and quite pleasant in the summer. Land bridge to Russia I've told you before from experience, Russians are slavedrivers! Well, if it's anything like Russian weather, it's not unliveable. It can get quite hot as well, especially near the bodies of water! It must be nice in the summer, since Norway & Finland are playing a DC tie this weekend on outdoor clay. I always thought it was rather obnoxious of Americans to assume they could go into any foreign country and speak English. Why should they kowtow to us? Because we're too stubborn to learn another language? Yecch.
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:33:46 GMT -5
Personally I would find Russian winters unliveable the summers I could probably handle! Yes, come to think of it, I know thats it's hot in the summer in Finland having read it from a Finn himself. Yeah I think thats what most of the world feels about the Brits too! A lot of us dont speak other languages. But Im guessing Finnish or any other Sscaninavian language would be hard to learn. I guess you'd not have to talk much or learn some of the basics.
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jul 11, 2003 14:38:50 GMT -5
I was thinking about that too -- good thing you went yesterday! Koubek = Fashionista!! too funny he is a friend of Rogi though... even in Wimby whites he needs a fashion consultant poor guy! Italian Riviera -- you mean just past Nice and over the border? That area looks neat! One day when I return to Provence but the E part, I w like to just drive into Italy -- Liguria, nr that sleazy port Genova!! I heard Rogi speak a tiny bit of italiano to some Italian player in TO last summer -- saying "bello, bello"!! Too cute! Che carino!! Lots of those players need fashion consultants to enhance their image. I was impressed by Roger during his homage, he wore a black shirt and white pants with black & white sports shorts. Casual but classy... As for Krati, he ought to start winning matches again so he gets sponsors. Those shoes he wears (Lotto?) look quite obsolete. RF, i once took the train back from Nice to Bern through that route, San Remo, etc. and it's really beautiful, that's why i'd like to go back and check it out. I've been to a town called Portofino, just down Genova, on the way to Pisa and that was really quaint. I think Lord Byron lived there during his lifetime.
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 14:41:42 GMT -5
But Im guessing Finnish or any other Sscaninavian language would be hard to learn. I guess you'd not have to talk much or learn some of the basics. Hmm, sounds like leaning on the arm of a local celebrity is the way to go!
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:45:31 GMT -5
Hmm, sounds like leaning on the arm of a local celebrity is the way to go! good idea! Well I have a feeling I know who you are talking about look what we've turned this into again!
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 14:50:49 GMT -5
good idea! Well I have a feeling I know who you are talking about look what we've turned this into again! What? *innocent* I can think of a handful of local celebs that I wouldn't mind sharing arm space with LOL, all I need is one in each country! ;D
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:52:29 GMT -5
What? *innocent* I can think of a handful of local celebs that I wouldn't mind sharing arm space with LOL, all I need is one in each country! ;D hee hee. Ah well...these other countries, you got anyone in mind?
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Post by RogiFan on Jul 11, 2003 14:54:54 GMT -5
Lots of those players need fashion consultants to enhance their image. I was impressed by Roger during his homage, he wore a black shirt and white pants with black & white sports shorts. Casual but classy... As for Krati, he ought to start winning matches again so he gets sponsors. Those shoes he wears (Lotto?) look quite obsolete. RF, i once took the train back from Nice to Bern through that route, San Remo, etc. and it's really beautiful, that's why i'd like to go back and check it out. I've been to a town called Portofino, just down Genova, on the way to Pisa and that was really quaint. I think Lord Byron lived there during his lifetime. A true romantic Byron!! All the Brit writers did their "Grand Tour" of Europe, esp Italy!! Nice for inspiration! Listening to Gaudio talk about Rogi for tomorrow... never heard him speak ingles before... quite good. Rogi has never played Gaston before... ojo, guapo!! Micha is fluent in French but what's his Eng like?? Maybe if I see him in Montreal I can speak to him en francais?? Pourquoi pas? Same w Rogi... [already spoke to Clement last yr... ]
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 14:56:45 GMT -5
hee hee. Ah well...these other countries, you got anyone in mind? :angel: Maybe . . . I jut think of it as, one country at a time. Plus, if I can speak the language, I don't need a guide
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jul 11, 2003 14:56:53 GMT -5
weeee!!!!
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:58:55 GMT -5
Maybe . . . I jut think of it as, one country at a time. Plus, if I can speak the language, I don't need a guide care to share? So I take it you can speak Finnish, Swedish (is there such language? ) and Norwegian?
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 14:59:15 GMT -5
weeee!!!! very good Mrs.B!
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 15:00:17 GMT -5
Micha is fluent in French but what's his Eng like?? Maybe if I see him in Montreal I can speak to him en francais?? Pourquoi pas? Same w Rogi... [already spoke to Clement last yr... ] Michel's English is almost flawless; he lived in Florida for 3 years, training at Bolliteri's (probably not such a good thing . . .). To my knowledge, he speaks 4 languages (Czech, Swiss German, French, English) and I assume he speaks them all fluently. He'd respond to you in any language
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 15:04:13 GMT -5
I see Mrs. B has found her powers, as well, but has decided to use them for good instead of evil. Can't say the same for myself So I take it you can speak Finnish, Swedish (is there such language? ) and Norwegian? Ahem. Lookit who I have on my team: Jarkko, Ancic, Gasquet. That's 3 countries right there! Jarkko, I think but am not sure, can speak passably in the other Scandinavian languages, or else they communicate in English. Yes, there is such a language as Swedish
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jul 11, 2003 15:04:17 GMT -5
A true romantic Byron!! All the Brit writers did their "Grand Tour" of Europe, esp Italy!! Nice for inspiration! Listening to Gaudio talk about Rogi for tomorrow... never heard him speak ingles before... quite good. Rogi has never played Gaston before... ojo, guapo!! Micha is fluent in French but what's his Eng like?? Maybe if I see him in Montreal I can speak to him en francais?? Pourquoi pas? Same w Rogi... [already spoke to Clement last yr... ] Good luck to Roger tomorrow. btw., Krati's English is very good, he doesn't have a typical Swiss accent. lol would love to chat, but hubby needs the pc and i'll get ready for our trip tomorrow. So goodnight, girls!
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Post by RogiFan on Jul 11, 2003 15:06:17 GMT -5
Lots of those players need fashion consultants to enhance their image. I was impressed by Roger during his homage, he wore a black shirt and white pants with black & white sports shorts. Casual but classy... As for Krati, he ought to start winning matches again so he gets sponsors. Those shoes he wears (Lotto?) look quite obsolete. RF, i once took the train back from Nice to Bern through that route, San Remo, etc. and it's really beautiful, that's why i'd like to go back and check it out. I've been to a town called Portofino, just down Genova, on the way to Pisa and that was really quaint. I think Lord Byron lived there during his lifetime. Back to Rogi's look -- I've always liked his look... very neat, stylish, unique, appealing. Funny Mary Carillo mentioned that when he demolished Pandy... and there you noticed the stark contrast betw the two: Rogi so neat, tidy, beautiful, effective, efficient game, well-balanced on the court, swift of foot, precision shots, perfect serves, floating BHs, whizzing crosscourt FHs, cleanly placed down-the-line shots... everything working like Swiss timing, and not a bead of sweat on his lovely brow. On the other hand you had Pandy: pale, as you said, dishevelled, illfitting, oversized outfit, juvenile cap, messy hair, awkward movements, herky-jerky serve, clumsy steps, nonfunctioning service, mistimed shots, wild FHs, irritable, rattled, thrown off, in short, the loser! Rogi has class!
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 15:07:12 GMT -5
goodnight Mrs.B enjoy tomorrow!
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 15:10:40 GMT -5
I see Mrs. B has found her powers, as well, but has decided to use them for good instead of evil. Can't say the same for myself Ahem. Lookit who I have on my team: Jarkko, Ancic, Gasquet. That's 3 countries right there! Jarkko, I think but am not sure, can speak passably in the other Scandinavian languages, or else they communicate in English. Yes, there is such a language as Swedish Well its seems you are perfectly prepared as long as you can pick up Jarkko Well I thought so but it annoys me when people assume there is a Swiss language even though I tell them there isn't and that it's Swiss-German. So I didnt want to annoy anyone Unless Im just petty like that!
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Post by RogiFan on Jul 11, 2003 15:12:08 GMT -5
weeee!!!! That he certainly does!! WOO HOO! HOPP ROGI!! Get rid of Gaudio, por favor... no me gusta tanto este... we need the Argies to start going down as DC SF approach... [it w help if the Spaniards could start going up... where is that Juanqui? I miss the little skinny guy... ]
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 11, 2003 15:19:27 GMT -5
Mrs. B!! Have fun, I'm sure you will! That's okay, ILR, I understand. It's tricky figuring out who has a language and who doesn't, especially when they are all so close. RF, thanks for telling me there were interviews on the Gstaad site. I am listening to Michel's now, even though I don't know a word of French. I only wish he could be this calm on court.
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 15:23:01 GMT -5
Thats for sure! Mind you I would probably be one of those people thinking that Swiss was a language if I didnt follow tennis and post here I also learnt how deal with a blister and where to pad etc. Who said sport isn't educational!
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Post by ILR on Jul 11, 2003 16:06:21 GMT -5
btw did you notice I updated my sig RF?
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Post by Vera on Jul 11, 2003 16:22:24 GMT -5
On the other hand you had Pandy: pale, as you said, dishevelled, illfitting, oversized outfit, juvenile cap, messy hair, awkward movements, herky-jerky serve, clumsy steps, nonfunctioning service, mistimed shots, wild FHs, irritable, rattled, thrown off, in short, the loser! Did Mary say that? If she did, that's the only sensible thing she said in the entire duration of the 2 slams, (well besides those compliments she gave Juanqui for his performance in RG's final ) ;D. Mrs. B, you had so much fun in Gstaad the tourney, good for you. Have fun on your trip. DC, so far away. I'm eagerly waiting. Rematch of Wimby, Rogi against Scud on grass in Aussie land, it would be tough but I hope Rogi and company can pull it off. I think whoever wins in that SF is likely to win the title, given the fact that the final will most definitely play on grass or indoor carpet . Much prefer Spain (if they win) lose to Switzerland than to Aussieland (unless Pat comes back from retirement to play DC final ). Wonder who Spain will choose to play on grass, will they be JC, Tommy and Feli, maybe Nadal too? Though the old squad deserves to be chosen to represent their country, but grass is for the new generation of the Spanish Armada, methink. Then again, it's not fair to have Alex, Al and Carlos to do all the ground world and leave the glory to the young guns. Ahhh, sorry, I'm getting off topic. Back to Gstaad. Go Rogi, I don't like the rest of the SFinalist, eventhough I don't mind Novak.
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Post by Sjengster on Jul 11, 2003 16:32:41 GMT -5
'Allo, Vera! Sorry, that was a dreadful pun on my part. My thoughts about the DC semis: The winner of Australia-Switzerland will probably win the whole thing, but that's only guaranteed because Spain will I think beat Argentina thanks to their home advantage in the other semi; you see, while Australia would be heavy favourites against either Argentina or Spain, I reckon that the Swiss could have some problems against the Argentine team... specifically Nalbandian, who has beaten Federer on three different surfaces, one of them in his home tournament last year. I'm wondering who will be the second Argentine in the squad against Spain - Gaudio will almost certainly be in there because he is such a consistent DC performer, even though he has started to develop a worrying mental block against Ferrero that involves throwing away a huge lead, so it'll be either Nalbandian or Coria for the other spot. The bottom line is, while Argentina have more players in the Top 50, Spain has a greater concentration of players in the Top 20, and that plus having home advantage will pull them through. My conclusion: another win for Australia, most likely.
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Post by Vera on Jul 11, 2003 19:26:44 GMT -5
Sjengster So you reckon Australia will win? I think Switzerland has a great chance, they have Rogi ;D. Based on Rogi's DC performance so far, I bet he won't have an off day. And he beat Mark easily. I think this year, he can beat Hewitt easily too. So it's the double again. Well, so the determining factor is likely to be his double partner, who would that be, Rosset? Bastl? Well, I can't say for sure who will win, 50 50. And for Spain, I'm also thinking Spain will. Since they have home court. And Ferrero is not losing to any Argi this year. He haven't play Nalby yet and he never beat Nalby. But unless David get rid of his beer belly , is not likely Ferrero will lose to him again. Moya is likely not to have any problem either. Even though he got beaten by Coria in MC. I think this time around, Careless Moya won't be so careless. My dream final will of course be Spain in Switzerland, better if Spain wins but it'll likely remain just a dream. Wow, then Rogi might score a double this year, winning his first slam and first DC...for his country.
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 12, 2003 16:36:38 GMT -5
Humble Federer takes plaudits in his stride 2003-07-12 16:25:12 GMT (Reuters) By Timothy Collings
GSTAAD, Switzerland, July 12 (Reuters) - Only rarely has a sportsman received such glowing praise from his rivals and such unadulterated joy from his compatriots as Switzerland's Roger Federer this week.
Last Sunday's Wimbledon winner, on grass, became the proud owner of a Swiss cow on Tuesday in the Alpine resort of Gstaad and then on Saturday completed a remarkable seven days by clinching a place in the final of the Swiss Open, on clay.
Not surprisingly, the 21-year-old has been the centre of attention since becoming the first Swiss to win the Wimbledon men's title after beating Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 6-2 7-6. He was given the cow to commemorate that historic win.
Blessed with athleticism, diplomacy and an impressive array of linguistic skills, the Basel-born player has shown no signs of celebrity-fatigue, no complacency and not a trace of arrogance.
In adapting his excellent all-round game from the faster serve-and-volley surface in south London to the classic dusty court at high altitude in the Swiss Alps, the number one seed here has also displayed diligence and intelligence.
Both the man he beat in Saturday's semi-final, Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, and the opponent he faces in Sunday's final, Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, were unstinting in their appreciation of his skills.
"He is really unbelievable at the moment," said Gaudio, whose 31 claycourt wins this year have established the Argentine as the top player on that surface on the circuit. "You don't need to ask him about adapting his game.
"He can play anything. He can play anybody. He can play anywhere. Right now, with his service game, his baseline game, his all-round game, he can do what he wants.
"He beat me before I could start to play today -- he won the first set 6-1 in 20 minutes and that was that."
VERY HAPPY
Federer smiles shyly when reminded of the many glowing assessments of his achievements. For him, simply reaching the final in Gstaad for the first time at the sixth attempt is satisfying enough in a week when he admits he is weary after Wimbledon and looking forward to a holiday.
"It is important for me to do well here, for me and for everyone here, so I am very happy for that," he said. "But I do feel a bit tired now, after Wimbledon, and I know I need a rest soon."
Novak said he hopes Federer's fatigue catches up with him in Sunday's final, but added that he also hoped he would play his own best tennis to give his Swiss opponent a tough game.
"Roger is a truly great player," he said. "It's not everyone who can win Wimbledon and play like he has this week. But he always plays good tennis. He can do everything. Everything is going for him, but I will have nothing to lose."
In seven previous matches between them, Federer has beaten Novak four times and lost three. But, significantly, he has won the last three -- twice last year, in Vienna and at the Masters in Shanghai, and once this year, in Dubai.
All three wins came on hard surfaces but Federer seems capable of handling any surface on his current form.
"I'm not thinking about the surfaces too much," he said. "I'm just trying to play the game, play the right game and not make too many mistakes. So far, I have been lucky and I just hope it holds on Sunday."
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Lily
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Post by Lily on Jul 12, 2003 17:31:34 GMT -5
Humble Federer takes plaudits in his stride2003-07-12 16:25:12 GMT (Reuters) By Timothy Collings GSTAAD, Switzerland, July 12 (Reuters) - Only rarely has a sportsman received such glowing praise from his rivals and such unadulterated joy from his compatriots as Switzerland's Roger Federer this week. Last Sunday's Wimbledon winner, on grass, became the proud owner of a Swiss cow on Tuesday in the Alpine resort of Gstaad and then on Saturday completed a remarkable seven days by clinching a place in the final of the Swiss Open, on clay. Not surprisingly, the 21-year-old has been the centre of attention since becoming the first Swiss to win the Wimbledon men's title after beating Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 6-2 7-6. He was given the cow to commemorate that historic win. Blessed with athleticism, diplomacy and an impressive array of linguistic skills, the Basel-born player has shown no signs of celebrity-fatigue, no complacency and not a trace of arrogance. In adapting his excellent all-round game from the faster serve-and-volley surface in south London to the classic dusty court at high altitude in the Swiss Alps, the number one seed here has also displayed diligence and intelligence. Both the man he beat in Saturday's semi-final, Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, and the opponent he faces in Sunday's final, Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, were unstinting in their appreciation of his skills. "He is really unbelievable at the moment," said Gaudio, whose 31 claycourt wins this year have established the Argentine as the top player on that surface on the circuit. "You don't need to ask him about adapting his game. "He can play anything. He can play anybody. He can play anywhere. Right now, with his service game, his baseline game, his all-round game, he can do what he wants. "He beat me before I could start to play today -- he won the first set 6-1 in 20 minutes and that was that." VERY HAPPY Federer smiles shyly when reminded of the many glowing assessments of his achievements. For him, simply reaching the final in Gstaad for the first time at the sixth attempt is satisfying enough in a week when he admits he is weary after Wimbledon and looking forward to a holiday. "It is important for me to do well here, for me and for everyone here, so I am very happy for that," he said. "But I do feel a bit tired now, after Wimbledon, and I know I need a rest soon." Novak said he hopes Federer's fatigue catches up with him in Sunday's final, but added that he also hoped he would play his own best tennis to give his Swiss opponent a tough game. "Roger is a truly great player," he said. "It's not everyone who can win Wimbledon and play like he has this week. But he always plays good tennis. He can do everything. Everything is going for him, but I will have nothing to lose." In seven previous matches between them, Federer has beaten Novak four times and lost three. But, significantly, he has won the last three -- twice last year, in Vienna and at the Masters in Shanghai, and once this year, in Dubai. All three wins came on hard surfaces but Federer seems capable of handling any surface on his current form. "I'm not thinking about the surfaces too much," he said. "I'm just trying to play the game, play the right game and not make too many mistakes. So far, I have been lucky and I just hope it holds on Sunday." Thanks for the article, TH. Gaudio and Novak said such nice things about Rogi. And Rogi saying he's a bit tired now. A bit. I remember Novak also saying that 'I have nothing to lose' before the Dubai final, so hopefully we'll have the same result. Go for your 6th title of the year Rogi!! Watched the Melzer/Bryan semi and Melzer was great. Reminded me of someone too...red shirt, white shorts, bandana w ponytail...v quick and good at net. Thought maybe I was dreaming for a sec...sorry we cant bring you Newport today, instead we're gonna show Gstaad. (yeah, right)
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Lily
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Post by Lily on Jul 12, 2003 17:51:05 GMT -5
Back to Rogi's look -- I've always liked his look... very neat, stylish, unique, appealing. Funny Mary Carillo mentioned that when he demolished Pandy... and there you noticed the stark contrast betw the two: Rogi so neat, tidy, beautiful, effective, efficient game, well-balanced on the court, swift of foot, precision shots, perfect serves, floating BHs, whizzing crosscourt FHs, cleanly placed down-the-line shots... everything working like Swiss timing, and not a bead of sweat on his lovely brow. On the other hand you had Pandy: pale, as you said, dishevelled, illfitting, oversized outfit, juvenile cap, messy hair, awkward movements, herky-jerky serve, clumsy steps, nonfunctioning service, mistimed shots, wild FHs, irritable, rattled, thrown off, in short, the loser! Rogi has class! RF, you just have a way w words. ;D You described Rogi and Pandy perfectly!
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Post by TennisHack on Jul 12, 2003 19:18:34 GMT -5
A Time To Laugh, A Time To Weep By Richard Evans 07/12/2003
It says everything about the extent of his talent that we had been waiting for this moment for a long time — Roger Federer, Wimbledon Champion. Everyone who had played him or seen him knew that this 21-year-old Swiss was something special. Pete Sampras said so after Federer beat him at Wimbledon in 2001.
The entire U.S. Davis Cup team said so after Federer had ensured they would lose to Switzerland at Basel the same year. Marat Safin said so after Federer had taken the big Russian apart in the final of the Tennis Masters Series Hamburg on clay 14 months ago.
But more big titles failed to materialize. The tragic death in a car accident of his first coach Peter Carter had something to do with the fact that he lost in the first round of the French and Wimbledon last year and failed to make any impression on the U.S. summer circuit, but that was not the whole story. Federer found the whole business of hitting tennis balls a little too easy. He was also too nice. The killer instinct was slow to kindle and matches that could have been won were lost by a wandering mind.
But Peter Lundgren, the Swede who toiled on the pro tour himself for many years, knew that special talent needs to be nurtured and he stuck to the task, befriending young Roger as well as coaching him. And so we waited as the lesser titles piled up this year: indoors at Marseille, on hard courts in Dubai, on clay at Munich and at Halle on grass. Four titles, four different surfaces. The versatility was not in question. But for how long would he continue to underachieve? He reached the semifinal at the Tennis Masters Series in Rome off the back of a 23-set winning streak. Then, in the final, he had seven break points in the opening set against Felix Mantilla, failed to take any of them and lost the match. Was this going to a career of wasted opportunities, of failing to do proper justice to God-given gifts?
There were those of us who refused to believe that. Hall of Famer Frew McMillan on BBC Radio and John Parsons in the London Daily Telegraph were just two shrewd observers who stuck obstinately to the belief that Federer would ultimately come through, and both tipped him for the title before Wimbledon began. And when he won, Federer was not the only one in tears. McMillan was, too. For those of us who have a deep love of this beautiful game, seeing it so beautifully played strikes an emotional chord.
But let us keep a stiff upper lip for a moment and state the bald facts. Federer became the first Swiss male to win a Grand Slam singles title when he defeated Mark Philippoussis 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 at the end of a fascinating fortnight that had begun with the seismic shock of Lleyton Hewitt’s defeat on Day One at the hands of 6-foot 10-inch Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic, ranked No. 203 in the world, and had climaxed, not with five-set cliff hangers, but with something that the purists found altogether more uplifting: the emergence of a sublime new talent whose breathtaking skills swept aside the most powerful opposition the game could muster.
No one in the tournament had been serving harder or more effectively than Andy Roddick and Philippoussis. Yet both were dismissed in straight sets as Federer not only out-returned, outvolleyed and outplayed them, but, incredibly, out-aced them as well. Roddick had become the bookies favorite after some supercharged performances against the likes of Greg Rusedski, Tommy Robredo, Paradorn Srichaphan and, in the quarterfinals, the ever green Swede Jonas Bjorkman.
But in the semifinal, Roddick found himself playing Salieri to Federer’s Mozart.
Not the manic personality, perhaps, but oh, how the talent flowed! So perfect the pitch of his strings; so perfect the touch on his high overheads and low volleys; so outrageous the imagination as he swung his melodies hither and thither across the green lawn of the Centre Court, and by the time he had waltzed into the final with a 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory the crowd were in raptures. They gave him a standing ovation for the purity of the entertainment he had offered them, and as he stood there in the middle of that historic arena, smiling shyly in bemusement and delight, the names of Hoad, Laver and Sampras were on everyone’s lips. But, perhaps, only Lew Hoad would have been his equal. Federer serves better than Laver and has a sounder backhand than Sampras. Like, Hoad when he was fit and on song, Federer has no discernable weakness in his stroke repertoire. There is no Achilles heel to attack — not even for someone with a name like Philippoussis.
Even after a performance as devastating as that which crushed Roddick, some of us still wondered whether the same Federer would appear for the final. In six matches, he had dropped only one set. Could he maintain that level of consistency and concentration against a player who had re-discovered himself during the previous two weeks? Could he hit the same heights of near genius that we had seen as he closed out the second set against Roddick when, in Andy’s words, he finished off a splendid rally on set point with a shot that was “just ridiculous.” Caught in mid-court by a frantic Roddick reply on the run, he half skipped into a low bouncing forehand and smeared it with topspin so that it fizzed low over the net crosscourt for a clean winner. Roddick shook his head and laughed as he went to the chair. "I don’t know if anyone else can play that shot," he said. "It was almost like he was trying a trick shot out there. But it worked. I just had to say, ‘Too good!’"
This was the standard Federer had set himself, and to some observers, it seemed an impossible one to maintain against a player like the Australian who had found a frightening rhythm on his first serve, with all his aces spearing through between the 125 and 129 mph range — a record-tying 46 of them in one match alone against Andre Agassi in the round of 16 and 34 in the quarterfinals against Alexander Popp, the tall German who had led Philippoussis two sets to love. But this time there were to be no disappointments for Swiss supporters.
As he strolled onto Centre Court for his first Grand Slam final, Federer looked more relaxed than his tense opponent, who had been insisting that the experience of having appeared in the final of the 1998 U.S. Open, when he lost to compatriot Patrick Rafter, would be a useful advantage. But when the first really critical moments arrived — in a first-set tie-break after no hint of a service break during the previous 12 games — it was Philippoussis who blinked.
He had grabbed the mini-break on the very first point with an excellent chip and charge, hitting the sideline with his backhand, but then dumped a bad forehand volley into the net on the very next point. Then, at 5-4 to Federer, "Flip," as his pals call him, flipped. Going for two much on the second serve, he gave Roger a nice little present in the form of a double fault, and two points later, Federer had it in his pocket, 7-5.
Both players agreed that first set was crucial. Fretting over the realization that he had given a multi-talented opponent a big psychological lift, Philippoussis netted another forehand volley to lose his opening service game in the second set and compounded the disaster by dropping serve again in the third. Federer was playing sweet music once more, and the crowd responded to the casual ease with which he took early balls and swept them away out of his opponent’s reach. To his credit, Philippoussis did not fold, but by the time the second tie-break arrived he had still not reached break point on Federer’s serve. And despite winning the first point, the Australian never threatened in the tie-break, going behind 1-6 before saving the first of five match points. But at 6-3, he hit a forehand into the net and Federer sank to his knees, his eyes full of tears of happiness and disbelief. "It’s just amazing; I don’t know how I did this," he said in dazed fashion as Sue Barker interviewed him on court while he clutched the golden cup.
con'd
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