A POEM ON GRASS

His movement on the court is as sublime as that of a fish in water. The single handed backhand as terrific as by anyone to have played the game. His lunges,scrapes,guile and the swift, ethereal mastery with a racket, Roger Federer truly wrote a poem on the grass to clinch a record equaling 7th crown at the SW19.


If perfection is the name of the God, Federer is His disciple.The way he played at the Wimbeldon finale consolidates the fact that his age and the responsibility of fatherhood have driven him to a stage where he apparently is more motivated to win than ever before. For a man who had already captured 16 Grand Slams single titles, has been at the top for 286 weeks and has been arguably tagged as the best ever player to hold a racket, there isn't a slightest need to prove anything to anyone. People and critics had started to write him off saying that the Federer era is over and the ageing legs and the aching back would debilitate any hope of the man to win another Grand Slam.The escalation of Nadal and Djokovic to the top ranking found Federer always lurking at the bottom when it came to the wee end of Grand Slams.But the debonair maestro gave a befitting reply to all those who had written him off. Well, that's what champions do.Don't they?
                                                                          

The Centre Court at Wimbeldon has always been like a second home to Federer. Winning Grand Slams here at the rate of knots, knocking formidable opponents with his astute slices and wily drop volleys had been something everyone got used to at the most coveted Tennis tournament on the planet.But the last two years had been shocking not so much for the champion but for his legions of supporters who cannot fathom the concept of a Wimbeldon finale without Roger Federer. Such has been his impact at the venue since winning the junior title here in 1998.The lexicographers can fall short of superlatives, the highly verbose degree can find themselves short on words.Such has been the aura of the Swiss maestro. 


Its not about statistics or percentages.Its not about the power or the ferocity. Its just about the adaptability and the tenacity to wear down opponents and create a dent in their psyche.That's where Federer has the edge.He has come tantalizingly close to utter perfection that even the smallest mis-step he takes or a single unforced error he commits, his fans admonish him in disbelief.Inspite of his incredibly high standards, he has never been egotistical about his illustrious career and his almost untouchable records.One can still see him pumping himself up after a hard fought point or eschewing himself from a flashy volley.Be it the impeccable serving victory to nail the Djoker or the tenacity to penetrate the game of Murray (who had the entire United Kingdom rooting for him), Federer has always come triumphs. Its as if he asks everyday to himself, "Whats next"!


Now,there's hardly anything left to be achieved in terms of booming numbers and the flawless statistics.He is not just a quintessential Tennis legend basking in the glory of the adulations from his fans, family or the fellow opponents, but he is a poet, who writes one of the most fluid and exquisite pems on any surface he walks onto, the grass in this case.His opponents often fail to decipher the meaning of the poems,but his fans always manage to with amazement. 




Udit Bhatia