Roger Federer: The Reason I Am Watching Tennis Again

I know about "emotionally moving" incidents and how they can create fans faster than any years of achievements can. It has been the same for me.

As a kid, I remember watching a video of Abebe Bikila running 1960 marathon barefoot. He wanted the world to know his country, Ethiopia, could win with determination. Only one time did he finish a marathon and not win. On his last Olympic marathon he ran 11 miles on an injured knee before he was pulled away. Watching someone with pure determination is always moving, even if they lose at the end. Crowds love it and that can turn them into fans.

But with Federer it was different. He did not have any drama or tragedies to overcome.

I was not a tennis fan, but the man is the reason I am watching it right now. I used to play as a kid but then somehow it got lost in my world, until only few years ago when I saw Federer play and I was hooked.

He appeared to be different from the rest, who I got to know one by one. Like the one that puts one step forward and with his sleeveless shirt pumps his fist to the ground. He looks angry after winning a point, his upper lips pulls up on one side as if saying you might as well not have tried. He looks like a panther defending his family's territory.

I like the kid though.  Because of him, now we cannot say Federer did not have real competition.

And the other one who pointed to his legs and head after winning the game, so we all know how he won. And better yet, his father pointed to him and then to himself to get credit where it's due.

Then there's the one with facial hair, who flexes his biceps while walking to the net to shake his opponent's hand.  He’s been called a bad influence on school kids because he swears often.

For me, the differences are stark.  Federer is defending tennis's own territory. If tennis as a game could talk I think she would tell us, "I love Roger, he makes me look so beautiful. He pays lots of attention to me. Several times a year he seats me down and gives me a new hair style. He always applies some Botox shots, also. At the end, when I look in the mirror I feel younger, fresh, anew."

Federer is serving lady tennis better and longer than anyone else before. That is why he cannot vomit on its courts. He cannot chest pump or flex biceps. It's not about him; it's about the game he is serving.  He has to stay calm like a good servant does and focus on the beauty of the game.

Where most of other players use a two-handed backhand, which is presumably stronger, he uses the nicer to watch one-handed, opening both arms after hitting the ball like an eagle touching down.

Where most others roar over each shot he stays quiet. This creates huge presence for him in the court. Sometimes silence speaks the loudest.

I am afraid tennis will be lost in my world again after the eventual departure of Roger Federer.  Until that day, I am not going to miss a moment. I can only wish that it lasts longer.

Abebe Bikila once said men of success meet with tragedy. I tend to think when Roger Federer meets with tragedy he will have already achieved all the successes he possibly could.