I have always loved tennis, even as a kid. Watching epic matches with gladiators of the time – John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Arthur Ashe, Martina Navratilova and so many more. I would have loved to have taken lessons and played, but my small town didn’t have public courts. The school buses parked on the ones at my high school.
I finally picked up a racket and started to play with a recreational club in the 1990s. I loved the game and would stay on the court for as long as I could. I also started watching tennis on TV again. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had in the past until some Swiss kid named Roger Federer showed up and beat Pete Sampras. The one-handed backhands where amazing! Inspired me to change mine to one-handed too.
Although it was stunning to hear that Federer was retiring after the Laver Cup this year, it was not surprising. He is after all 41 years old and the sport of tennis is hard on the body. He also has a young family, so I am sure they will enjoy having him at home.
I don’t know how many of Federer’s incredible number of matched I watched on TV, but they were always a joy to watch even when things weren’t going his way. In additional to his incredible skill, he always carried him self with class and elegance on and off the court.
I did get to see him play in the quarters, semis and finals at Indian Wells in 2004. It was such an amazing experience. My only regret is not getting to see this great champion play at Wimbledon. I loved the way he danced on the grass and made everything look simple, but we all know that it was a finely choreographed ballet.
Roger’s love for the game is clear. He has said that he is not going anywhere and I hope that is true. It will be great to see him play exhibition matches in the future!
