David Foster Wallace on Roger Federer in the NY Times

david foster wallace - is he a cunt?

Not related to article, but if anyone wanted to turn this into a general Federer discussion thread I wouldn't be opposed, because right now dude is looking very seriously like he's going to be the greatest tennis player of all time. Jeezus his game is so balanced, there's like nothing he's NOT good at.

take yesterday's match: roddick was playing about as well as i've ever seen, more confidence and better command of a greater variety of shots, but he only made it seem like a serious game for about a set and a half. nadal when he's at his best can obviously come a little closer, but i don't see him seriously challenging for the no. 1 spot for a while, if ever.

but of course, all this talk about his inevitable dominance probably means he'll go out in the second round of the australian.

apparently, the announcers said that this year he could lose every match (including yesterdays) and would still be guaranteed of being the year-end number one in the ATP ratings.

yup, there's a lot of talent on that list, probably at least a couple of longterm contenders for the top. but i think we're in for a minimum of two more years of roger dominance (i.e. without injury, i bet he'll win half the majors for the next two years).

the conrtasing personalities are sweet too. and nadal looks like a super hero and federer looks like morrissey.

whoa

I didn't realize they'd only played the one time.

"After practicing with Roger in March, I felt that I really could hold my own," Sampras said.

Seriously, wtf.

Maybe someone should send Pete a clip of Leconte caning Borg 6-3 6-1 in Stuttgart in '84. And BB had only been out of the game for two and a half years. And that was on clay. And Leconte wasn't even top 20 at the time.

Did anyone see footage of the half-grass/half-clay Nadal-Federer challenge match in Majorca a few weeks ago? They had to change footwear at every change of ends, apparently. Rafa won 12-10 in a 3rd-set breaker.

So...Fed and Samp played three exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, Macau and Seoul and 36-y-o Samp actually won one of them! Lots of clips on YouTube.

Exhibition tennis matches are so goddam dull even when its players like these. It's not particularly surprising that Sampras would win one since Federer would likely hold a lot back so as not to risk an injury.

Sampras doesn't have to worry about that so much, unless he really *is* planning a comeback.

Exhibition tennis matches are so goddam dull even when its players like these.

Disagree. DFW OTM w/ "TV tennis is to live tennis pretty much as video porn is to the felt reality of human love." The only live tennis I have seen in 15 years was an Agassi-Courier exhibition and it was surreal, an absolute revelation... TV just cannot translate the power and speed and skill that players at this level demonstrate in even when going through the motions.

I guess one shouldn't read much into it but I was a little stunned when I saw the result - at least until I thought about it and realised that there's no reason why Sampras, 5 years into retirement, can't still send down those 115mph line-accurate second-serves on a fast indoor court and hence not face any break points. Hell, Fed even lost to Roddick in an exhibition event at the start of the year!

(Andres Gomez was the first pro I saw play in the flesh - outside courts, Wimbledon '87. Revelation is about right).

that live tennis is a revelation to someone who's never seen it does not change the fact that top players may play a different game in exhibition rather than tournament play

yeah i got lost... i wansn't contesting uptoeleven so much as riffing on DFW's point that live tennis>>>>>>>>>>>> TV tennis

gabby have you ever seen an exhibition or pick-up basketball game between greats? in many ways it's a lot more fun to watch!

yes

holy shit what a forehand
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7429565.stm

One of those occasions when you really need better streaming video quality! To hit such a low, awkward, mid-court ball like that; I mean, from there you'd expect him to hit a deep, heavy approach and set up the volley but he just spiked it into the corner. Like the net wasn't there or something.

What's happened to our Roland Garros thread?

(Fed two sets up vs UnitedCouleurs before it started raining, btw).

love those inside-out shots.

inside-out is the coolest

I can't stop watching that video

What did happen to the French Open thread? There was one last week...

Anyway there was something totally awesome that just happened on the women's side and I want to scream and dance about it.

Fed's slam record might survive because Corona