An open letter to Roger Federer on the eve of the Wimbledon 2014 final
Hi Roger,
First up, congrats for reaching your ninth Wimbledon final! For most, reaching a single Wimbledon final would be the result of nine lives worth of devotion, so your achievements underline exactly where you belong. But then, so accustomed are we to seeing the King rule his domain that we sometimes forget what an incredible feat you’ve accomplished already.
Umm, what can I say to you that won’t sound repetitive and would make you read this? I guess nothing, save an ardent fan’s desire for you to win one more time and hold that regal trophy aloft. No pressure Roger, just win today for us! Lol.
Seriously though, the sight of you kissing Grand Slam trophies and holding them heavenwards is, for many of us, the most pristine sight in the sport. And after many tormented months of doubting whether we’d ever get to see that again, finally, you’ve given yourself one more chance to be nearly there!
It won’t be easy of course. Novak Djokovic, with his solid groundstrokes off both wings, would be extremely difficult to beat. And like the fans, you too would enjoy a good, hard-fought contest with him. That’s something that you – having played at the highest level for so long – must always relish. But in the end you’ll just win, won’t you? If you don’t, we won’t stop loving you suddenly, but the tennis world would suddenly stand the prospect of becoming poorer with one great sight less – for let’s face it, you’re almost 33.
Roger, you for us are Tennis! We can’t imagine this great game without you. For many of my generation you are the face of the sport. And you embody everything that’s beautiful and glorious in athletics.
We like to believe you are ageless. That inch-perfect forehand that just about kisses the inside of the line, that sublime drop-shot, that effortless glide on the court – we like to believe this poetry in motion would be alive even when you’re 50! But like all good things, we know even this’ll soon come to an end. And you don’t need any reminding of that, I’m sure.
We want you to seize the opportunity that every good fibre in your character has blessed you with. Your standout fitness, discipline and consistency have left you on the threshold of the nearly-impossible-to-emulate 18th Grand Slam coronation. And we would love for you to seal it with your most ruthless game.
Like you said yourself – take charge! Your opponent is a great player, therefore don’t let him sniff a chance. Only your A-game would help you do that. But everything that your last six months of resurgence have built up to - is this final, this Sunday. If you don’t bring it now, then all of it will be in vain. And you with your sense of occasion of course, you don’t need to be told that.
But still I want to tell you. I want to put my will into this letter, for your winning Grand Slams makes me feel somewhere that the world is alright again. There is enough bullshit in the world, and we want to escape from all that. That ruckus around the girlfriend of that young Bulgarian they’re calling “Baby Fed” – I mean, what stupidity!
You can make us turn our attention to the better things. You’ll always be the greatest for me. Are you the greatest of all time? If you win today surely you’ll become a strong contender again. Your record against Rafa is more of an aberration; you’ve never struggled like this against anyone else. But Nadal on his own isn’t good enough to reach as many finals as you or consistently win on surfaces other than clay. Greatest, really?
But I know you don’t think about that much. You respect all good players and Rafa is a great one. You play the sport like a sportsman and leave all the bickering to stupid fans. Some fans even accuse you of being ungracious! They’ll dig up your old comments about Djokovic and project your relationship with him as being sour. Aren’t they hilarious!
Like mature individuals you and “Djoker” have both moved on with your lives and buried the hatchet but still they rake up ancient controversies. How they love to cast slime on you!
But elegant as you are on the court, off it you’ve shown you’re above such pettiness. Seriously Roger, you’ve made me realize that I don’t care how many people believe in your greatness. All I care about is watching you play while I’m still lucky enough to have the chance, and go ecstatic if you win.
I won’t tell you to play better on the break points. Or to improve your effectiveness in the long rallies; that’s not your strength. I want you to play to your strengths. Seize the service games like you’ve done all tournament, and upset Djokovic’s serve with your customarily aggressive stroke-play.
There’s barely four hours to go. And when the curtains roll up one more time, seize the grandest stage of your sport and unleash the nostalgia of those vintage years as you and only you can! Remember, the whole world is waiting for something glorious.
Yours respectfully,
Ishan.