The Maestro

Roger Federer is undoubtedly a maestro. He’s a pure genius. He can be compared to a wizard if tennis is magic. A leading newspaper had these eloquent words to say about the great Swiss master: “There’s plenty you could liken Roger Federer’s reign to: genius at work, poetry in motion, the rustle of smooth silk or the rolling hills.”

These words of praise are enough to show the extent of Federer’s play. His domination on world tennis for the fourth-year running is proof enough of that. He plays like silk and yet, his game is tougher than steel. Opponents are simply shattered before his outstanding volleys and symphony-ridden backhands. The forehand is like a blast of ice. And believe it or not—even when he’s playing like hell for four hours, you would be hard put to find a bead of sweat on his face. His grace is special—almost like a God-gift.

But why has he repeatedly failed to win the French Open?

French Open has conjured some of the greatest ironies in the world of tennis. Roland Garros (the venue for French Open) is like a Great Barrier Reef between the other three Grand Slams and the French Open itself. Iconic players like Pete Sampras haven’t been able to win over there while Andre Agassi, who is not the best player on other courts managed to achieve victory on the mecca of clay court tennis. Many players, who have played fantastically on clay haven’t been able to go beyond second round on any other surface. And champions on hard court and grass have failed miserably at Paris.

For the likes of Pete Sampras, it was usually said that his game wasn’t suited best for clay. Clay requires art, patience and toiling ground-strokes. Sampras had all these qualities but not in as much quantity as was necessary to triumph on that dusty surface. Agassi had them in greater amount and hence, he succeeded. But what about Federer?

His game is sublime, artistic, patient and also, his ground-strokes are calibrated to perfection. Since he conquered the entire world of tennis three years ago, he has played three times at the French Open. And on all occasions, he has lost to one man—Rafael Nadal—once in the semis and twice in the finals. Now, Rafael Nadal is considered to be bred in clay—Spaniards really have an affinity for this surface. He has played like a maestro himself on this tricky surface and has kept the crown for three consecutive years—defeating Federer quite comprehensively every time. But as I was blabbing about irony, it is equally fascinating that Nadal hasn’t managed to win any Grand Slams on any other surface and has lost a lot of times quite comprehensively to Federer. So—is Federer a weak player against Nadal? Certainly, this is not true.

What I feel about Federer’s repeated failures to clinch the French Open, even when he’s just a step away, is his inability to think straight while facing Nadal on clay. Taking nothing away from Nadal’s terrific play, I’m just saying that Federer gets into too much pressure while playing the Spaniard on his home turf. He tries to do everything in a measured way, trying to play perfect shots and that’s where he falls. Federer’s game is like poetry and poetry is a waste of time if restrained by the institution of trained methodologies and set of rules. A best poet is one who lets his pen move as his fingers want and allow the words to flow out like a perennial river, instead of selecting each lyric with careful planning.
However, in the case of Nadal (on clay), Federer crushes his poetic shots, free flowing backhands, rushing volleys with too much planning and crafted strategies. This leads to a choking of his eloquent game-play, which is already so disciplined that there is no further requirement of bonding it in chains.

Now, Federer must try and free his mind while facing Nadal on clay. He should believe in his strengths. No other player is better than him even on this controversial surface. He’s not like Sampras, who never managed to reach the finals at Roland Garros. Only Nadal gets the better of him, mostly because of Federer’s faults. It is like a chain reaction that began when Federer lost the first time to the Spaniard. Each year, he is building more pressure upon his game in an effort to win. But efforts can strangle you at times.

Stop doing any effort—you’re already great, Roger! That’s my advice to the great Swiss. I know it sounds a little too arrogant but that’s how good Federer is. There’s no denying this fact.