Greatest of All Time Downs Young American Harrison
March 24, 2012 -- Roger Federer walked onto the purple courts of the Sony Ericsson Open with a new title under his belt -- The Greatest Player of All Time, aka the GOAT. He hadn't struck a match ball since he won his 19th Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells last Sunday, either. The folks at Tennis Channel had been, though, through their paces over a week of broadcast hours where the 100 Greatest Players of All Time were counted down. Federer got the top vote.
Ryan Harrison, the GOAT's opponent for today's afternoon match in sunny south Florida, is about as far away from Federer's stratosphere as any teenager in the first years of a professional tennis career. Ryan is 19. Federer is 30. Not many thought Harrison would best Roger today, especially with such a brisk wind at his back.
Since losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the U. S. Open, Federer has earned more points than any other player on tour, holding a 40-2 record. He's won six of his last eight tournaments. He's a hair's width away from the #2 ranking, and you have to believe that he would like nothing better than to knock Novak Djokovic, the current superstar of the courts, off the throne and reclaim it for himself, the rightful king.
Add a week to his weeks at #1, and Federer will surpass Pete Sampras in another category -- number one player in history at number one: 287 weeks.
"I have played some of my best tennis now since I have turned 30 last August," Federer said, as reported on TennisX.com. "I expected it, that it was possible, but I'm happy to prove it to myself and maybe some people. Just, you know, prove it to my fans that they're right. That I'm still a great player."
But who said you can't win titles after 30? Answer - the history books. And let's face it, we're talking about major title wins. In that department Federer is stuck at zero.
He almost got stuck in a 3-set mess against Harrison. At 5/2 in the second and serving for the match, the Maestro flubbed an overhead, threw in a couple loose points and faced break points for the first time in the match down 15-40. Then some knucklehead in the audience yelled 'Out' during a heated rally. Federer stopped playing, thinking the call had come from a linesman. Game on.
Ryan Harrison may still be a teenager, but the kid has good talent. His serve is speedy -- topped 130 m.p.h. today -- his court sense savvy, and his competitive nature massive. Harrison could hang with Federer in longer rallies and held serve at love quite a few times. Most of all he believes in himself, the advice from his coaches, and that he belongs on any center court around the world.
So the match was settled in a tiebreak, although Federer pressured to break and close it without delving in the risky nature of first-to-seven-by-two.
"I think he's very talented," Federer said of Harrison, again from TennisX.com. "I'm sure he's going to make his move up the rankings very easily this year and the coming years. He has a big game. Obviously he's the classical American hard-court player. But he's also got some good defensive skills and a lot of good confidence. That's why it makes him a very difficult opponent in the first round here."
Calling the match for Tennis Channel, Justin Gimmelstob excitedly announced at the end of three games, which Federer won, that "Harrison's not doing anything wrong." But from the looks of the match, Harrison couldn't do anything right because Federer was hopping hot from the get-go, leaving Harrison to defend.
And that's what Federer can do and has done over his career, now recognized as the greatest in the sport.
No one doubts that Federer is an exceptional athlete. However, all tennis pros are. What does distinguish him, in addition to his tennis, is his love of the game and his eagerness to continue to learn. He practices 2-4 hours a day under the eyes of Paul Annacone and Severin Luthi, works out with Pierre Paganini, and finishes up with Stephane Vivier, the physiotherapist, unless he's on a beach with his family for some necessary rest and relaxation.
And who else better than Rod Laver, #2 on Tennis Channel's Greatest list, to make this remark, "There's really no substitute for hard work, for putting in all that practice and time."
It worked today for the Roger. Final score: 62 76(3).