Subject : Federer, The Greatest Of All Time

The Fed Express, the Swiss Maestro, that is Roger Federer. It is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of most, if not all opponents. Many critics and players have considered Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time. In a nutshell, some of Federer’s biggest accomplishments can be summarized as followed: 24 Grand Slam finals, appearances in 18 out of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. He spent nine years (2003 – 2011) continuously in the top 3 in the year-end men’s rankings, rivaling Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, thus creating some of the greatest competition the tennis world has ever witnessed.

A little background about Federer’s early life states that Federer was born 1981, in Binningen, Switzerland near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette Durand, of Dutch and French ancestry. Federer holds dual citizenship of Switzerland and South Africa, and also speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently. With regards to his personal life, Federer is married to former Women’s Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. They were married on 11 April 2009 and have since given birth to a pair of identical twin girls.

Federer is well known for his all rounded versatility in terms of playing style on court. His vision for passing shots, coupled with his technical capability to move his opponent all around the court makes his game one of the most lethal and intelligent throughout the professional tennis circuit. An interesting fact to note about Federer’s exceptional shot-making is due to the way he adjusts his racket grip to play each shot to perfection.

The basics of Roger Federer’s forehand grip sees him holding the racket in some form of the Eastern grip, a grip considered more conservative than most other professional players on tour. The dexterity in maneuvering a top spin grip as well as a flat grip approach leaves Federer spoilt for choice when applying various shot selections thus allowing him to create the narrowest possible angles, often resulting in winners. Furthermore, Federer’s preparation in timing and taking his shot is as precise and consistent as what one expects in order to perform a perfect forehand shot. The turning of his shoulder, together with his lower body, creates dynamism and an impact so solid such that a full and complete action results in shots ranging from 60-100mph.

Moving on to Federer’s backhand, it is a powerful and efficient stroke that is adaptable and versatile. Federer’s backhand is designed to neutralize his opponents shot while maintaining good depth on his returns. Federer uses a standard backhand grip for the one handed backhand which is widely known as the best suited grip for the stroke. In preparation for the backhand, Federer executes a unit turn (a consecutive turning motion from shoulder to lower body), allowing his body to load up power in the core muscles to generate a powerful shot. An important point to note about Federer’s backhand is that his contact point is in front of the body. Following through is also important when deciding on a topspin or a flatter backhand, with the latter requiring somewhat more of a shorter swing coupled with less of a follow through.

Overall, Federer plays mainly from the baseline but this does not necessarily mean that his net game should be negated. He has a powerful and accurate smash and his volleys are also sublime. It is clear that Federer strives to improve the level of his game constantly, and this is substantiated by the addition of drop shots in his game. Drop shots, typically not a common shot applied even at the professional level, is seldom used due to the level of risk involved, especially during crucial points. A good drop shot results in a high pressure retrieving shot (for the opponent) or even a winner in some cases, but a bad drop shot gifts the opponent with the luxury of putting the ball away with a simple winner. Federer establishes himself as a world class professional once more by astutely applying the drop shots in several situations, causing his opponents to scramble to the net while barely retrieving the shot, thus allowing Federer to put the ball away with ease.

Much more can be said about Federer. It is clear that he is a crowd favorite, having won the ATPWorldTour.com Fan’s Favorite Award a record nine times straight (2003-2011) and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (voted by players) a record seven times (2004-2009, 2011), both awards indicative of the amount of respect and popularity he has garnered over the years. His charitable efforts throughout the world (e.g. organizing exhibition matches and having the proceeds donated to disaster-struck zones) are also commendable.

Having said all this, I am honored to be living in an era where we have possibly witnessed the greatest tennis legend of all time.

All hail Roger Federer!