Returning to this beautiful video after I've heard that Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time, announced his retirement. This sums up my feelings very well on this sad, momentous day. Thank you, Roger, for all the memories and for your immense contributions to the beautiful sport of tennis.
From memory, these words are branded on my brain forever: Whether anything like a nascent Federer could be seen, among these juniors, cannot be known of course. Genius is not replicable. Inspiration though, is contagious, and multiform. And even just to see, close up, power and aggression made vulnerable to beauty, is TO BE INSPIRED, and (in a fleeting, mortal way) reconciled. (DFW, New York Times, 2006, Federer as a Religious Experience). Rest In Peace David.
Very beautiful. He captures something about why I find Federer's play so moving; it is something transcendent, something that reaches, for moments, a beauty which is able to escape our mortality. And yet that awareness is always there, and is why seeing him continue to play on in defiance of physical decline, and produce moments of brilliance and triumph, is so powerful.
Many things are taken for granted in the culture that we live in. For the sports world, Federer is an athlete we, collectively as fans, take for granted, especially as he's gotten into his later years and isn't the athlete he once was. I became a diehard Federer fan at Wimbledon 2008 but I had become a fan in 2005, but just in a casual nature, as I was 13 (at Wimbledon to be precise) and was only a few years into playing the game myself. Once I got on TH-cam in the spring of 2007, the limited videos of Federer's tennis introduced me to his genius, and since then I've spent many a waking hour viewing his brilliant shotmaking ability in his prime years (2003-2012 is what I consider his prime, but 2004-2007 his peak, of course). And in all the years of watching the man at work, I have no doubt in my mind that Federer is not only the greatest tennis player to have ever step foot on court, but he is maybe the most talented athlete ever. To combine the technical, physical, and mental capabilities he had into one human is absolutely unimaginable. Even after years of watching his most incredible masterclasses and his most agonizing defeats, I still find myself watching older matches that I've never seen before (vs Ferrero, Masters Cup 2003, vs Nalbandian USO 2005, for example), and seeing even more amazing points that have me shaking my head. By this point, I shouldn't be surprised by any shot he was able to hit, and yet I still am.
I think his match vs Hewitt at the USO in '05 is underrated. Hewitt forced him to play his best tennis at the end of the 2nd (on set points against), and with Lleyton winning the third set, grabbing the second to take a 2-0 lead was the difference. Hewitt was playing very well and it really should have been a 5-setter. I think some of the matches in his prime are underrated just because they are not easily accessible online (though it's much better now). And then some matches are underrated in which the opponent was playing very well but Fed outclassed them when it mattered - matches like Ancic Wimbledon '06 QF, or vs Lopez and Roddick USO '07. Ancic, Lopez, and Roddick would have beaten many players on those days but Fed could just raise his level and hit some ridiculous shots under pressure.
Divine grace: something so beautiful that it wins you over. Like a compelling force. Only difference: you give in joyfully. When even the opponent smiles back because he knows he witnessed something great.
In Federer, tennis has produced one of the most complete examples of greatness. He brings together the artistry, grace and joie de vivre of the perfect amateur, and yet the relentlessness and durability of the ultimate pro.
Would u people stop this Federer worship. Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray are just as good. Does anyone recall Novak Djokovic 's 46 in- a - row wins. Lets get serious- PETE SAMPRAS, McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ash & lets not forget the WTA. YES WOMEN PLAY TENNIS TOO. SERENA, VENUS, MARTINA, MONICA SELES, KIM CLISTERS. betty benitez
Betty Benitez its not too late to join! :) and of course federer fans know the 46 match win streak of novak well...it ended when federer beat him in the french semis!
swissgenius from betty benitez...no thank u, not interested in praising a mere human being. interesting how the Son of God came & He's still Rocking the world like no one did, can , or will. And whether u believe in JesusChrist or not , He is Lord over all, & no moves like Jesus does. Man is always looking 4 someone /something to worship. It's a space only God can fill. I love tennis, but i don't worship it. There is a difference. Let us not b fanatics ok? Peace.
swissgenius from bettybenitez, ask Jesus yourself when he returns. God will not be mocked. Jesus died a Roman Crucifixion. I will not join in your wilful rebellion against Jesus Christ. "The fool saith in his heart, there is no god." Perhaps u should try a religious experience with Jesus...He used his entire body to stop the blow aimed at you & me by satan. I pray u stop to examine your words before u utter them. it is not against me that u speak. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?"
This Wallace piece is absolutely exquisite... I've read it so many times and never get tired of it. The things Wallace was able to to with words are incredible. Thanks for combining two of the persons I really really admire! By the way, has anyone read the book called FEDERER AND ME by William Skidelsky? I was very disgusted to find out that the author modeled it after Wallace's tennis essays. Seeing him poorly adopting Wallace's tics and moves was very very dispiriting and copying the exact words Wallace used to describe Federer was upsetting. He has no mind of his own.
I didn't mind it. He (Skidelsky) clearly admires Wallace as well. He just laid himself bare more, relying on Wallace's modus operandi. Hey, if you can't do it better than DFW, do it his way. Fine by me.
You did like Skidelsky's book? I thought it was flat...especially the memoir sections and his point by point recreation of matches. And for a book about a sport obsessionist, the book has no energy or eccentricity. Yeah this book had a bad luck competing with Wallace, and no doubt it failed.
It is so beautiful. Thanks a lot for creating this wonderful video! P.S.: Roger's forehand winner at 2:24 actually looks more like the shot that David Foster Wallace describes at the beginning of his essay than one he hit against Agassi in the 2005 US Open final. Could it be that he mixed up those two shots?
He either mixed up the shots or his memory was wrong regarding the shot vs Agassi. The shot he described was still correct (falling back forehand DTL) but of course Agassi was at the baseline.
What a beautiful, stunning video! What matches are the first few comments from? When they say that about Federer being in the same human race or it's appropiate to give thanks? Did you take most of them from Wimbledon matches or??
And yet nowadays anyone wins a slam or two they call him GOAT. If you have eyes, and if you love tennis, regardless who is your favorite player you must know who is the one and only GOAT. Every move and hit is a masterpiece...and that got nothing to do with how many titles he won or records he broke. *RF IS THE GOAT*
Who will be the next genius? Maybe Thiem? Too late for Dimitrov to quit wasting his talent goofing off? I miss seeing someone play tennis like this...the current field is a joke.
If you're asking if there's a player who plays with the flair of young Federer, there's a lot of candidates...but it's always the journey of the great talent to blend the artist and the artisan then, isn't it?
Thiem is more like Kuerten than Federer. Dimitrov could still reach the potential many saw in him in 08-09, but he'll never have the same kind of champion's mentality Fed possesses. I don't think we'll ever see someone play like TMF again. It would be very unlikely in the time of tennis right now for a player to grow up with an all-round style and a net-attacking mindset.
This is so freakin' subjective. Federer a religious experience? Religious my ass!! Maybe if God has a really thin left arm! Did you ever look at that arm. It looks like it barely survived Auschwitz. It doesn't look like it belongs to him. He looks so grotesquely uneven. I know that in tennis the dominant arm is usually bigger than the other arm, but his left looks so gross in the context of his body it makes me sick looking at it. If that's religious for you, knock yourself out! I've never taken to Federer much as I tried to. My kind of players are Borg and Rafa. Power tennis par excellance. Nasty topspin which Borg virtually invented. Two-handed backhands. I got hooked to tennis during Bjorn's heyday. He had the most feared two-handed backhand at the time. Topspin forehand. Ice in his veins. Iceborg he was called. When he retired at 26 because of burnout, it broke my heart. It was like being cheated out of my most cherished pleasure. Say it ain't so, Bjorn. Who knew what he could have accomplished if he hanged around ten more years. He had 11 majors at 26. Just imagine that! He could won 10 or more. When he retired, tennis lost its appeal to me. I tried to look for someone to root for but no one seemed to have the appeal Borg had for me. Federer? I tried, to no avail. His style of play didn't appeal to me. Moves like a gazelle? Gazelle my ass. You're watching tennis. If you wanna watch ballet, go see Swan Lake. Or just maybe he's better off joining the freakin' women's tour. I want my tennis powerfully overwhelming. I want it awesome, leaving you really in awe. Then finally came Rafa! He's the closest who ever came to Borg's style of play. Finally, I found someone who I could root for the way I did for Borg back in the day and more. Suddenly tennis is back in my life. And more rabid about it than ever. I wouldn't say Rafa is a religious experience because I'm not as blasphemous as Wallace, but let's say whenever he wins, he makes my day!
Friend my prayer is that you don't make Federer your religious experience. Federer, you and I are in need of a Saviour. The only one who can save us from our sins is Jesus Christ. God warns us in His Word not to have any idols which we worship. Come to Jesus Christ today repent of your sins and one day we will be with Christ forever and ever.
![Roger Federer Talks About Life After Retirement On BBC Breakfast [14.06.2024]](/img/n.gif)
The man has finally called it a career. What a ride!
Still miss him and his game. Thank goodness for TH-cam
I cried watching this video... What a man, what talent, and what a miracle we are able to witness... beyond belief
I remember reading that David Foster article. When you play the game and know the game you have 1000 times more appreciation for what this man does.
Returning to this beautiful video after I've heard that Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time, announced his retirement. This sums up my feelings very well on this sad, momentous day. Thank you, Roger, for all the memories and for your immense contributions to the beautiful sport of tennis.
All good things come to an end! We were all witnesses :)
Here after hearing the news of Roger retiring. There will never be another RF.
The man singlehandedly made tennis an art again.
Why am I crying at the club right now.
Because there will not be another?
Arguably, the finest Roger Federer tribute on TH-cam!
Thank you for making this moving tribute. It brought tears to my eyes. Just wonderful to witness. I'd dearly love to see him play live.
From memory, these words are branded on my brain forever:
Whether anything like a nascent Federer could be seen, among these juniors, cannot be known of course. Genius is not replicable. Inspiration though, is contagious, and multiform. And even just to see, close up, power and aggression made vulnerable to beauty, is TO BE INSPIRED, and (in a fleeting, mortal way) reconciled. (DFW, New York Times, 2006, Federer as a Religious Experience).
Rest In Peace David.
Very beautiful. He captures something about why I find Federer's play so moving; it is something transcendent, something that reaches, for moments, a beauty which is able to escape our mortality. And yet that awareness is always there, and is why seeing him continue to play on in defiance of physical decline, and produce moments of brilliance and triumph, is so powerful.
this is what you call a masterpiece, well done!
thanks! i'm a fan of your work!
Beautiful, soaring music is the right music to set to this video. Exactly correct - giving the artist the right background score. Wonderful video!
Thank you!
Many things are taken for granted in the culture that we live in. For the sports world, Federer is an athlete we, collectively as fans, take for granted, especially as he's gotten into his later years and isn't the athlete he once was.
I became a diehard Federer fan at Wimbledon 2008 but I had become a fan in 2005, but just in a casual nature, as I was 13 (at Wimbledon to be precise) and was only a few years into playing the game myself.
Once I got on TH-cam in the spring of 2007, the limited videos of Federer's tennis introduced me to his genius, and since then I've spent many a waking hour viewing his brilliant shotmaking ability in his prime years (2003-2012 is what I consider his prime, but 2004-2007 his peak, of course). And in all the years of watching the man at work, I have no doubt in my mind that Federer is not only the greatest tennis player to have ever step foot on court, but he is maybe the most talented athlete ever. To combine the technical, physical, and mental capabilities he had into one human is absolutely unimaginable.
Even after years of watching his most incredible masterclasses and his most agonizing defeats, I still find myself watching older matches that I've never seen before (vs Ferrero, Masters Cup 2003, vs Nalbandian USO 2005, for example), and seeing even more amazing points that have me shaking my head. By this point, I shouldn't be surprised by any shot he was able to hit, and yet I still am.
that's interesting. what are some older matches that you feel are underrated?
i've considered going through the archives and reviewing some of federer's 1000+ matches, so i will have to at some point figure out where to start!
I think his match vs Hewitt at the USO in '05 is underrated. Hewitt forced him to play his best tennis at the end of the 2nd (on set points against), and with Lleyton winning the third set, grabbing the second to take a 2-0 lead was the difference. Hewitt was playing very well and it really should have been a 5-setter.
I think some of the matches in his prime are underrated just because they are not easily accessible online (though it's much better now). And then some matches are underrated in which the opponent was playing very well but Fed outclassed them when it mattered - matches like Ancic Wimbledon '06 QF, or vs Lopez and Roddick USO '07. Ancic, Lopez, and Roddick would have beaten many players on those days but Fed could just raise his level and hit some ridiculous shots under pressure.
Looking at 2017, can you really say he's declined as an athlete? I can hardly tell any difference.
Thank you for this.
Divine grace: something so beautiful that it wins you over. Like a compelling force. Only difference: you give in joyfully. When even the opponent smiles back because he knows he witnessed something great.
IMO, Fed's play is the most beautiful ever.
In Federer, tennis has produced one of the most complete examples of greatness. He brings together the artistry, grace and joie de vivre of the perfect amateur, and yet the relentlessness and durability of the ultimate pro.
Would u people stop this Federer worship.
Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray are just as good. Does anyone recall Novak Djokovic 's 46 in- a - row wins.
Lets get serious- PETE SAMPRAS, McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ash & lets not forget the WTA. YES WOMEN PLAY TENNIS TOO. SERENA, VENUS, MARTINA, MONICA SELES, KIM CLISTERS.
betty benitez
Betty Benitez its not too late to join! :) and of course federer fans know the 46 match win streak of novak well...it ended when federer beat him in the french semis!
swissgenius
from betty benitez...no thank u, not interested in praising a mere human being. interesting how the Son of God came & He's still Rocking the world like no one did, can , or will. And whether u believe in JesusChrist or not , He is Lord over all, & no moves like Jesus does. Man is always looking 4 someone /something to worship. It's a space only God can fill.
I love tennis, but i don't worship it. There is a difference. Let us not b fanatics ok? Peace.
Betty Benitez hmm...would jesus use a one handed backhand or a two handed backhand???
swissgenius from bettybenitez, ask Jesus yourself when he returns. God will not be mocked. Jesus died a Roman Crucifixion. I will not join in your wilful rebellion against Jesus Christ. "The fool saith in his heart, there is no god." Perhaps u should try a religious experience with Jesus...He used his entire body to stop the blow aimed at you & me by satan. I pray u stop to examine your words before u utter them. it is not against me that u speak.
"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?"
Got a tear in my eye.
Kinematic poetry. Thank you for the beautiful tennis, RF! T_T
This vid takes me back to the original with Canon in D Minor. Wonderful job. I love hearing Mary Carillo again - "look at him dance!!"
i have watched this maybe 25 times
Hay seres especiales, bendecidos con dones que han sabido elevar; el Sr. Federer ha dado lustre al Tenis y merece mi admiración y respeto por siempre
RIP Dick Enberg. Wimbledon has just lost a little bit of its luster without you my friend!
Beautiful fitting montage
This Wallace piece is absolutely exquisite... I've read it so many times and never get tired of it. The things Wallace was able to to with words are incredible. Thanks for combining two of the persons I really really admire!
By the way, has anyone read the book called FEDERER AND ME by William Skidelsky? I was very disgusted to find out that the author modeled it after Wallace's tennis essays. Seeing him poorly adopting Wallace's tics and moves was very very dispiriting and copying the exact words Wallace used to describe Federer was upsetting. He has no mind of his own.
I didn't mind it. He (Skidelsky) clearly admires Wallace as well. He just laid himself bare more, relying on Wallace's modus operandi. Hey, if you can't do it better than DFW, do it his way. Fine by me.
You did like Skidelsky's book? I thought it was flat...especially the memoir sections and his point by point recreation of matches. And for a book about a sport obsessionist, the book has no energy or eccentricity. Yeah this book had a bad luck competing with Wallace, and no doubt it failed.
great tribute to the great man
I love this video.
Wow fantastic!
This reduced me to a puddle
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
The greatest ever
There's Roger Federer.... and everyone else.
The best there ever was. Enjoy your retirement Fed!
RIP Mr Wallace , bis 120 Herr Federer !
It is so beautiful. Thanks a lot for creating this wonderful video!
P.S.: Roger's forehand winner at 2:24 actually looks more like the shot that David Foster Wallace describes at the beginning of his essay than one he hit against Agassi in the 2005 US Open final. Could it be that he mixed up those two shots?
He either mixed up the shots or his memory was wrong regarding the shot vs Agassi. The shot he described was still correct (falling back forehand DTL) but of course Agassi was at the baseline.
Omg welcome back!
Hello, thank you!
What a beautiful, stunning video! What matches are the first few comments from? When they say that about Federer being in the same human race or it's appropiate to give thanks? Did you take most of them from Wimbledon matches or??
Happy federer retirement day! A few of them are from a match 2007 australian sf. The rest escape me at this point..
@@swissgenius It was indeed the match against Andy Roddick. One of my all time faves. :)
The first one was good, but this one is great!
GOAT
Great video!
And yet nowadays anyone wins a slam or two they call him GOAT. If you have eyes, and if you love tennis, regardless who is your favorite player you must know who is the one and only GOAT. Every move and hit is a masterpiece...and that got nothing to do with how many titles he won or records he broke. *RF IS THE GOAT*
Am I the only one enjoying Federer now in 2019 more than ever before?
you are a genius for making this series of videos
Olé
can you give me the name of the music used in the begaining..I ve been looking for it for eternity..
Pachabel's Canon in D
+10.000
how do you get the audio from ESPN broadcasts? odd question i know but it's one of the reasons i watch your videos
well, i had many of the original espn broadcasts available...i guess i just accumulated them over time. some of the audio goes back as far as 2001!
+swissgenius damn. well thank you for the response and also your videos, i love your work here
thank you, i've noticed that you asked this question before on some previous videos. sorry for taking so long to respond!
+swissgenius it is fine, it was important to me
No link to the original video? :-(
Yes, he should have added that.
Who will be the next genius? Maybe Thiem? Too late for Dimitrov to quit wasting his talent goofing off?
I miss seeing someone play tennis like this...the current field is a joke.
If you're asking if there's a player who plays with the flair of young Federer, there's a lot of candidates...but it's always the journey of the great talent to blend the artist and the artisan then, isn't it?
Thiem is more like Kuerten than Federer. Dimitrov could still reach the potential many saw in him in 08-09, but he'll never have the same kind of champion's mentality Fed possesses.
I don't think we'll ever see someone play like TMF again. It would be very unlikely in the time of tennis right now for a player to grow up with an all-round style and a net-attacking mindset.
This is so freakin' subjective. Federer a religious experience? Religious my ass!! Maybe if God has a really thin left arm! Did you ever look at that arm. It looks like it barely survived Auschwitz. It doesn't look like it belongs to him. He looks so grotesquely uneven. I know that in tennis the dominant arm is usually bigger than the other arm, but his left looks so gross in the context of his body it makes me sick looking at it. If that's religious for you, knock yourself out! I've never taken to Federer much as I tried to. My kind of players are Borg and Rafa. Power tennis par excellance. Nasty topspin which Borg virtually invented. Two-handed backhands. I got hooked to tennis during Bjorn's heyday. He had the most feared two-handed backhand at the time. Topspin forehand. Ice in his veins. Iceborg he was called. When he retired at 26 because of burnout, it broke my heart. It was like being cheated out of my most cherished pleasure. Say it ain't so, Bjorn. Who knew what he could have accomplished if he hanged around ten more years. He had 11 majors at 26. Just imagine that! He could won 10 or more. When he retired, tennis lost its appeal to me. I tried to look for someone to root for but no one seemed to have the appeal Borg had for me. Federer? I tried, to no avail. His style of play didn't appeal to me. Moves like a gazelle? Gazelle my ass. You're watching tennis. If you wanna watch ballet, go see Swan Lake. Or just maybe he's better off joining the freakin' women's tour. I want my tennis powerfully overwhelming. I want it awesome, leaving you really in awe. Then finally came Rafa! He's the closest who ever came to Borg's style of play. Finally, I found someone who I could root for the way I did for Borg back in the day and more. Suddenly tennis is back in my life. And more rabid about it than ever. I wouldn't say Rafa is a religious experience because I'm not as blasphemous as Wallace, but let's say whenever he wins, he makes my day!
Rafael nadal is the greatest clay court player ever.
Friend my prayer is that you don't make Federer your religious experience. Federer, you and I are in need of a Saviour. The only one who can save us from our sins is Jesus Christ. God warns us in His Word not to have any idols which we worship. Come to Jesus Christ today repent of your sins and one day we will be with Christ forever and ever.
Great video!