Idea and Format: Courtesy U.S.
First things first.
After 50 gloomy days, the sun has peeked out from behind the dark clouds again...
Today is warm, and pleasant.
Roger is back.
Oh that divine creature with the power, speed, and stealth unworldly...(OK don't open a new tab. I stop here)
The wait has been long, but finally, "chocolate" boy is here (Brand "Lindt" , if you please).
Invariably, I am in great spirits today, and I go back to my favourite series in B/R (pun intended, of course).
In recent times, a lot has been said about various kinds of tweeners in Tennis.
Many say that it is the toughest, and the lowest-percentile shot. Sure, it will rank pretty high up there for both...
But take a look at this moment from the magical racket of Roger here.
One perhaps far more difficult than any bloody tweener that has even been hit...
This moment can be traced back to the Roland Garros semi final back in 2006, against David Nalbandian, his worst nemesis before Rafa Nadal came along.
Here Federer produces an incredible down-the-line undershot with his back to the net, and seemingly no angle to work with.
Wrong-footed at the net, the Swiss No. 1 races to the baseline chasing the Nalbandian instinct-lob, somehow skips sideways a couple of steps, swiftly, to hit a forehand off his backhand court scream past the stunned opponent.
All in the matter of seconds...
This is a fast sport. And boy, is the bloke fast!
The late David Foster Wallace in his much-acclaimed piece Roger Federer as Religious Experience said, "The approaching ball hangs, for him, a split-second longer than it ought to. This thing about the ball cooperatively hanging there, slowing down, as if susceptible to the Swiss’s will — there’s real metaphysical truth here..."
While Foster Wallace is very capable of weaving together words and phrases to form such quotable lines, I'm not.
But what I can do, is describe precisely how every single person in the stands, or squatting in front of their television sets, must have reacted to this moment...
Oh la, la!
Federer Moments series:
| Federer Moment | Description | Submitter | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V. 001 |
The No Look Flick Lob | Backhand lob over Agassi's head |
Gil | Watch |
| V.002 | The Greatest Shot of his life |
Between the legs cross court passing winner against Djokovic |
U.S |
Watch |
| V.003 | "That shot" against Roddick in Basel |
Flying overhead passing shot off an overhead from the back court |
Rajat Jain |
Watch |
| V.004 |
The touch of a genius |
Leaping overhead smash-lob from the baseline against Djokovic |
Gil |
Watch |
| V.005 | A little bit of that old magic... |
Down-the-line forehand undershot with his back to the net | antiMatter |
Watch |
| V.006 | |
|||
| V.007 | ||||
| V.008 | ||||
| V.009 | ||||
| V.0010 |
If interested, please submit your "Federer Moments" here .
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