ROGER’S REMARKABLE RUN: Last year, Roger Federer scored a remarkable turnaround with his (“I ain’t dead yet”) U.S. Open victory. But this year’s turnaround has been even more astounding. After all, he began ’09 with a 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2 loss to Andy Murray in Doha, and then lost what many consider a humiliating setback — his teary defeat at the hands of Rafael Nadal in the Aussie Open final. He then withdrew from Dubai and the Davis Cup tie against the U.S. due to a back injury. And things didn’t get much better after his six-week layoff. He failed to reach finals in Indian Wells or Miami, losing in the semis in the desert to Murray and in Florida to Novak Djokovic. Things got so bad there that the usually mild-mannered Fed infamously cracked his racket in Miami and after the tournament, the Mighty One confided, ‘thank God the hard-court season [his best surface] is over.’
But there was no immediate resurrection on the clay, as he lost in the third round in Rome to Swiss pal Stanislas Wawrinka.
But, at last, the oh-so-persistent Fed turned the tide, scoring a memorable win over Rafa in Madrid on his rival’s beloved surface (clay) and in his homeland. Federer apologized to the Spanish crowd for raining on their nationalistic parade and then left town to go on a fierce Federerian tear.
After all, Rafa’s loss to Robin Soderling opened the Red Sea on the terre battue of Roland Garros, where Roger triumphed for the first time and then followed up with his classic win over Roddick at Wimbledon.
After the birth of his twin girls — Myla Rose and Charlene Riva —Fed looked a little rusty in Montreal where Jo Tsonga came back from a 1-5 deficit in the third set Against him.
But getting a better feel of the ball in Cincinnati, he downed Murray (whom he had lost to four straight times) in the semis, and then punished Djokovic (whom he had lost to twice this year) in the final 6-1, 7-5, a result that might just prove to be a prelude for another remarkable U.S. Open.
‘CHILD’S’ PLAY: The popular new movie “Julia and Julie,” about the pioneering cooking guru Julia Child, brings to mind Bud Collins‘ answer to those who said all that the young Pete Sampras could do was serve. “Yeah,” said Bud, “all Luciano Pavarotti can do is sing. It’s likely all Saul Bellow can do is write and probably Julia Child can’t do much besides cook. But they’re all champs just the same.” BTW: Child was a spy in WWII, as was the late tennis champ Alice Marble.
ROCKET SCIENCE: Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz once reflected on Notre Dame’s speedy Rocket Ismail, saying, “I knew he was fast, but I never knew how fast until I saw him playing tennis by himself.”
ETIQUETTE IS STILL IMPORTANT IN THIS GAME: As the Maria Sharapova–Elena Dementieva Toronto final began to heat up, commentator Pam Shriver implored both of their coaches to “stop biting your nails and spitting it out on the person in front of you.”
THE OLD RACEHORE SEABISCUIT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN CANADA: A plane circled overhead carrying a banner that read: “I love your biscuit” during the Toronto women’s final.
GO FIQURE: There’s only one American woman in the Pilot Pen draw.
PROPHETIC ARTHUR: Jimmy Connors, 52, will be in New York broadcasting the Open as The Tennis Channel’s new marquee broadcaster, which brings to mind Arthur Ashe‘s comment that “Jimmy will be showing up and doing something when he is in his 50s.”
ROGER’S END GAME: Pam Shriver tracked recent changes in the life of new dad Roger Federer, saying, “He was changing ends earlier — now he’s changing different kinds of ends.” Asked whether he changes diapers, Fed said, “Of course I am. Times have changed the past couple of decades.”
QUOTEBOOK
“Just coming back to Arthur Ashe.” — Roger Federer on what he likes about New York and the U.S. Open
“He’s having a snappy little summer.” — Mary Carillo on Roger Federer, who in a few months time won two majors and had two kids
“The closest I was going to get to the first-place trophy was now.” — The thoroughly drubbed (but still witty) Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnati awards ceremony
“Sloppy, sloppy and sloppy — that’s Safin.” — Doug Adler on the fading Marat Safin, as he was losing to Radek Stepanek
