The Federer Express

So, I am a Federer fan. The Fed has made watching tennis meaningful again. And his stunning display of emotion after winning the 2006 Australian Open only makes him that much more of an endearing champion.

Especially when you have a stark contrast available in Justine Henin-Herdenne. Maybe she really desparately wanted to live up to the characterization of people of her country as portrayed in the comedy Yes Minister. To paraphrase, "...Common Market official ...has the organizing capacity of the Italians, the flexibility of the Germans and the modesty of the French... the imagination of the Belgians, the generosity of the Dutch and the intelligence of the Irish". I can't imagine how she could have even thought of justifying her pull out, and I am sure she did not even imagine how her lack of grace toward the eventual winner will play out. The telling moment was when a concerned Amelie Mauresmo (lets not forget, she was once dissed as being half-a-man) had the class and grace to go and talk to JHH and inquire after her health.

Someone somewhere (probably was Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated) had written that Federer looked uncharacteristically mortal at the Aussie Open, and yet found a way to win. In a way, this elevates the Fed.

Maybe even like how the boring Pistol Pete Sampras suddenly became a crowd favorite after he uncharacteristically broke down in tears during the 1995 Aussie Open quarters.

Apparently the similarties between these two great players are a lot more than meets the eye.