Roger Federer Gets Small

I love tennis.  It’s become a sport that I love to play and follow.

We were at a tennis tournament this past weekend and missed the epic five-set match between Roger Federer and Nole Djokovic.  For those that did not see it or hear about it, Djokovic was down in sets 0-2 and came back to win in five sets.

There was one shot in particular that Djokovic hit when he was down a match point.  He crushed a return of Federer’s serve, and Federer had no chance at it.  It ended up being the turning point of the fifth set, and Djokovic went on to win the match.

Afterward, when asked about the shot, Federer replied that he has played against guys like that his whole career, guys who get lucky and “slap the ball around.”  He then went on to say that he has always valued hard work and not luck.

Really?  Were sets three and four a series of games where Djokovic was slapping the ball around and being lazy?  Was it luck and slapping the ball around for the remainder of the fifth set, after that one shot?

What’s clear from Federer’s reaction is that he knows his time has come and gone, and he is extremely bitter about it.  I have always admired Roger Federer.  He has been the consummate professional at almost every turn.  To see him act like an eight-year-old and not acknowledge a great match and victory by Djokovic is small and petty.

If you follow / care about tennis, what did you think of Federer’s reaction?