Beautiful post. I was a little kid when Roger was at his absolute prime ('04 to '07), and I remember always rooting against him because he always won and it was too predictable. Fast-forward 10/15 years and he's my favorite player ever. During the past year I've been rewatching some of his classics in complete awe: Safin in AO 2005, Rafa in AO 2017, Blake in Masters Cup 2006, Nole in RG 2011, Nalbandian in Rome 2007, and so many more. But the one that I'll always hold the most dearly, for personal reasons, is him vs Delpo in USO 2009 (yes, I'm a biased argentinian).
It's hard to believe that Federer's original rivals were Roddick, Hewitt, Safin, and Nalbandian. Those guys ended their carrers in the late 0's/early 10's. He even outlived some of the generation that came after him: Tsonga, Berdych, Delpo. And he stayed relevant throughout, giving us classic after classic. It's sad that after 2019 his carrer was pretty much over due to his knee, when he was still playing at a high level. However, he gave us more than we could ever imagine.
I'm not looking forward for Rafa's and Nole's farewell. But let's celebrate how much they've contributed to the game consistently for 20 years. Looking at the big three (or four)'s legacy one at a time does them a disservice. It's the fact that they dominated the game for almost 20 years and counting, while battling each other time after time at the biggest stages, the one that's the most impressive. And they've left 149 displays of tennis of the highest level at our disposal. Their legacy will live on in every kid that was inspired to pick up a racket by watching them play.
Yeah it’s a similar thing. Incredibly balanced, aggressive, always lands on feet, hard to look away. And similar lengthy career too. Maybe there is a “noise” analogy for surf turns too
Beautiful post. I was a little kid when Roger was at his absolute prime ('04 to '07), and I remember always rooting against him because he always won and it was too predictable. Fast-forward 10/15 years and he's my favorite player ever. During the past year I've been rewatching some of his classics in complete awe: Safin in AO 2005, Rafa in AO 2017, Blake in Masters Cup 2006, Nole in RG 2011, Nalbandian in Rome 2007, and so many more. But the one that I'll always hold the most dearly, for personal reasons, is him vs Delpo in USO 2009 (yes, I'm a biased argentinian).
It's hard to believe that Federer's original rivals were Roddick, Hewitt, Safin, and Nalbandian. Those guys ended their carrers in the late 0's/early 10's. He even outlived some of the generation that came after him: Tsonga, Berdych, Delpo. And he stayed relevant throughout, giving us classic after classic. It's sad that after 2019 his carrer was pretty much over due to his knee, when he was still playing at a high level. However, he gave us more than we could ever imagine.
I'm not looking forward for Rafa's and Nole's farewell. But let's celebrate how much they've contributed to the game consistently for 20 years. Looking at the big three (or four)'s legacy one at a time does them a disservice. It's the fact that they dominated the game for almost 20 years and counting, while battling each other time after time at the biggest stages, the one that's the most impressive. And they've left 149 displays of tennis of the highest level at our disposal. Their legacy will live on in every kid that was inspired to pick up a racket by watching them play.
Farewell, maestro.
I'd put Kelly Slater in feline / kinetic beauty category
I'm not knowledgeable in surfing but he's clearly a freak.
Yeah it’s a similar thing. Incredibly balanced, aggressive, always lands on feet, hard to look away. And similar lengthy career too. Maybe there is a “noise” analogy for surf turns too