This piece is written partly by request by some of the readers here and partly in tribute to probably the greatest tennis player in history. 
Let's face it. A guy who can wear a milk-white blazer and a cardigan on to Wimbledon Centre Court deserves some respect. If you want to have the look, you've got to have the game to back it up; and boy, do Roger Federer have the game. His on-court versatility is one of the factors which make him so dominant on all surfaces (he's not that bad on clay, just that there's a certain Rafael Nadal around). Federer doesn't have a Plan A or Plan B or Plan C, he adapts on court, improvises and tweaks his game to beat his opponent, which most of the time, leaves his opponent scrambling around the court. Part of the excitement of watching Federer do what he does is watching him improvise until he totally dominates rallies and exchanges. However the greatest joy I find watching him is when he weaves his way out of a rut. His phenomenal groundstrokes and precision with angles, along with some deft volleys and drop-shots makes him dangerous, even on the defensive. His ball-control is second-to-none, and the scary thing is that Federer seems to get better when he's on the move rather than stationary. Most importantly, Federer is an entertainer. He's not a prankster like Djokovic (remember his Sharapova imitation?) but instead has an eye for the spectacular on court. Be it an outrageous chip lob, running down-the-line passing shot or a deft volley on the fly, Federer has done it all.
Another trademark of Federer's would be his icy cool demeanour on court. He is a throwback to Bjorn Borg, the model professional whose face rarely betrays emotion and whenever you see him, is always poised for perfection. Whenever I see him play I always picture him as an ancient aristocrat, with his debonair class and graceful airs. A real psychological advantage for Federer is that he makes everything he does look so effortless on court. It is as if everything he does, incredible or not, is exactly as expected of himself. His seemingly unflappable self-confidence gives him a huge edge over his opponents as they attempt to decipher his poker face. 'Imperious' is an appropriate and most often word used to describe Federer, for on court he is king, and he has the game, looks and aura to back it up.
This year's been uninspiring for Federer so far, considering his lofty standards. He hasn't won a grand slam title until now, suffered his biggest title draught since 2002 and worst of all, lost to Nadal on grass. My own take is that the glandular fever at the start of the year pretty much left his pre-calendar training in tatters, and that greatly affected his performances and fitness this year. Some have said (somewhat prematurely) that this is the beginning of the end of Federer's dominance on court, slowly being dethroned by Nadal, though I beg to differ. At 26, he's still pretty much at his peak (tennis pros peak at around 24-27) and he's proven to us at Wimbledon, despite losing, that he still has what it takes to win. Nadal is on the rise no doubt, being only at 22, but Federer has a vastly wider arsenal to call upon and is more consistent with his form. He also chooses his tournaments carefully so as to not run out of steam, but just enough to maintain his World No. 1 ranking which he has held since February 2004 (this is a record 232 consecutive weeks!). Nadal may yet be the favourite at the Olympics and US Open this year after dethroning Federer at Wimbledon, but don't expect the Swiss maestro to take it lying down. Underneath his poker face lies a tremendous fighting spirit and will to win and dominate like he did for the last couple of years. If he keeps up the hunger and passion, one wouldn't bet against him on beating Sampras' record of 14 grand slam titles. I personally would like him to win all four in the same calendar year (making him the first men's player to do so) that would guarantee his place as the greatest player ever. However considering the uprising of Nadal and Djokovic (and let's not forget Tipsarevic, Tsonga, Gasquet, Monfils, Murray and the rest), next year will probably be his last chance at having a realistic shot at that feat.
As a player, Federer has certainly reached the pinnacle of tennis. His dominance on the tour from 2004-2007 will probably be remembered as his best years as he seeks to cement his place as the best ever. Whether he will ever surpass Bjorn Borg is yet to be seen, but the legend himself has already conceded that "He has achieved so many great things in tennis and if he stays clear of injuries, stays motivated and continues at the same pace as he is doing, he will definitely be the greatest player of all time." And that, coming from Borg, is high praise indeed.~Zhongy~
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