Nole will need to make Federer feel the grass and dirt

After Nick Kyrgios’ explosive performance versus Rafael Nadal, I wrote about how that win brought me back to Boris Becker’s 1985 Wimbledon victory.  Becker’s early years helped inspire me to play tennis so I am always fascinated to see a player breakout and become a factor on either tour.  Roger Federer reaching his 25th Grand Slam final reminds me that tennis isn’t always about the unexpected newcomer.  This is especially true when a player is not quite as consistent as she or he once was.

Pete Serving and Swinging like 1990

One More Time

Illie Nastase said Jimmy Connors in 1991 had what every retired player wanted, “One more time.”  I think Federer reaching his 6th tournament final of 2014 means that things are not quite so final for the 32-year-old Swiss as they were for the 39-year-old Connors.  Still, when a great champion makes a big run or wins a title late in his or her career it takes me back to when I first saw excellence in a given player.

I had seen Federer a few times in 2000 and was impressed with his 2001 quarterfinal finish at Roland Garros.  I remember telling friends and family that Pete Sampras would need to be on top of his game to beat Federer in 2001.  We know Roger won a tight 5 set encounter with Sampras.  Still, 2003 is when everyone got a sense of the depth of excellence that dwelled within Federer.  No one can seriously doubt that excellence, but a title on Sunday would be another affirmation of what emerged in 2003.

Time is or is not a factor?

Here are Some Late Career Titles or Runs that Brought to Mind the Past

• Martina Navratilova’s 1990 Wimbledon title and 1994 Wimbledon runner-up finish were a testament to her excellence on grass.
• Jimmy Connors’ 1991 US Open run still reverberates in tennis (Ever notice how much the fist pump gets marketed in tennis commercials today?).  The first tennis match I remember watching was the 1982 Wimbledon final won in 5 sets by Jimmy Connors so his run in 1991 brought me back to my oldest tennis roots.
• Boris Becker upset world #1 Andre Agassi in the 1995 Wimbledon semifinal on the 10 year anniversary of his 1985 Wimbledon title.  When Becker won the first set against Sampras in the final, I was back in 1985.
• Steffi Graf’s 1999 French Open title had me thinking of her 1986 US Open semifinal loss to Martina Navratilova.
• Pete Sampras’ 2002 US Open title was as unexpected as it was awesome.  Given that he beat Agassi in the 1990 and 1995 US Open championship matches, this match had an erie time capsule feel to it.  Sampras was a bit wobbly in the 4th set, but he drew on everything to just gut out the win.
• Andre Agassi won the 2003 Australian Open and reached the 2005 US Open final.  Both results showed that the kid in acid washed jorts had longevity few could have predicted.
• One day when Novak Djokovic is older I expect to see a deep run or title that reminds me of what made me say “wow” during Miami 2007.

Platonic Federer

The more strict enforcement of all-white clothing at Wimbledon makes Federer look more like a Platonic Form

Plato’s theory of the forms argues that an ideal form of each category exists in a world of perfection that all physical manifestations of that category imperfectly reflect.  For instance, in this system an ideal table exists in the realm of the forms and every table you or I have ever sat at is an imperfect reflection of that form.  I have half jokingly said since 2004 that Roger Federer is a bit like a Platonic Form of a tennis player playing tennis in the physical realm.  His balance, his variety of shots, etc. all tend toward the ideal.  Given that Platonic Forms exist in a realm not impacted by time or decay, a win Sunday by Federer would do all of the Platonists of the world some good.  To give a philosophical analysis of this match, it will likely be decided by either how ethereal Federer’s play is or to what degree Djokovic can ground Federer in the physical realm.  Not to worry, I will put a less philosophical preview up tomorrow.