I forget who I was talking to the other day, but we were talking about Federer. You know I am a big fan of his, his accomplishments, his ability to adjust his game even when he isn't playing well, and his sheer dominance in one of the most physically demanding sports there is to offer.
The best thing about Federer: his swagger. This is what I was talking about with a buddy of mine the other day and a quote he gave after rolling into his 8th straight Grand Slam Final reminded me of it.
At Wimbeldon, Federer shows up with that sport coat. What the hell is that thing? Who shows up to a tennis match with a custom designed white sport coat and then puts it just to make a statement when he accepts his trophy? You know what? It doesn't matter. Are you going to tell him not to wear it? Maybe someone who beats him there can try to. Oh wait, at Wimbledon that seemingly doesn't happen.
Federer is so cool, that he can get away with doing the most pompous things. He's so cool that during post game interviews, he can say things like he did most recently and make it sound ok.
"I could have lost in three sets," Federer said. "He's an excellent player. It's a superb win for me before the final."
Hang on. Federer won in three sets. If you translate that line from Federerish into, I don't know, Floyd Merriweatherish, it would come out, "That guy was terrible. I beat him in straight sets. I played bad and still kicked him around. See you next time, I'll be wearing my white sport coat."
Translate it into Phil Mickelsonish, "Well Jim, you know, I just didn't have my best stuff today. I'm really glad I got to play in this tournament. I capitalized on a few mistakes and got some shots to fall when I needed to. I'm really looking forward to getting another shot at playing this weekend. You know, I will really try to put together a better game, I'll get with Butch and we'll talk about it. I'm just really thankful that I had the opportunity to play today."
Translate it into Michael Vickish, (Flick off kid in the stands, steal his dog and make it fight with Little Jerry Seinfeld.)
Either way...we know what Federer means, but then again so does he. That's how good he is. He can get away with being delicately arrogant and still hold himself as one of the classier athletes in sports.
What could be interesting is this weekend's final interview. It's the French Open final and apparently Federer isn't playing all that well. We all know he can lose to Nadal, especially at the French. Keep in mind, if Federer wins this weekend, he will have completed a calendar year Grand Slam, the career slam, and the chance to win the real Grand Slam this year. I'm rooting for Federer, most of France isn't. No one really care what the French think though. Either way, it's going to be exciting. Make sure to tune in. At least for the post match interviews.
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