All Hail King Federer!

There's something about Roger Federer that makes you want him to break all those seemingly insurmountable records set by other less attractive tennis greats. Perhaps it is his effortless touch on the tennis court which gives him the ability to manufacture a host of breathtakingly impossible shots; or perhaps it his almost balletic grace while moving around the court that enables him to reach every corner of the court before his opponent has even the chance to stand back and admire his 'unreachable' shot; or then perhaps it is his amazing spirit that helps him hit aces when defending break points, and repeatedly at that. Of course, the question that keeps coming back to you over and over again while watching his majestic play with jaw dropped in awe is: how on earth could anyone be so damn good?

In today's Master's Cup final in Shanghai Federer gave only further indication that he is firmly on his way to unforgettable greatness. Not that there has been any lack of signs the past three years. The manner in which he takes apart famed opponents, especially in finals of major tournaments, with alarming ease must definitely rank as one of the greatest spectacles in modern sporting history. And the thing that's most scary about Federer is the fact that he's all of 25 years; one can only pity the long line of unfortunate opponents that are likely to be demolished under the avalanche of his scorching play. James Blake, otherwise an admirably gritty player who has fought his way through plenty of obstacles to reach the elite group of players, could hardly have said anything more frightfully true when he said that 'Roger is the best of the best'. Certainly, Roger is the 'best of the best' of his generation, by a long mile. 9 Grand Slams (and counting), 12 Masters' Shields (and counting, again), 146 consecutive weeks as No. 1 (don't hate me for this, but again, COUNTING) more than stand testimony to the great distance between him and the rest. Whether he is actually the best of all time is a matter best left to talk about at the end of his career, although many have been inclined to give him that label already.

How very unfortunate for me then, that Federer isn't actually my favourite player. No, that place still belongs to the tenacious Lleyton Hewitt, who has very tragically been bogged down with injuries and bad form the last couple of seasons. Yes, I know, Hewitt can't really match the class or ability of Federer, but he did develop into a good player much before Federer did, and I don't change my favourite player just because a scintillating talent blossoms elsewhere. Such disloyalty is not for me. So if Hewitt and Federer ever clash with each other in a match, I'd wholeheartedly root for the Australian, and the very distinct possibility of heartbreak at the end of the match won't dampen my spirit in the slightest. Isn't that a little sad?
That's it for today I guess. My next post will definitely be about something other than sports, so that the sports-haters will not altogether hate my blog. Hope I wasn't too boring today.