Lightning in a Bottle

Occasionally I wonder how Roger Federer's recent struggles in grand slams could happen so quickly to such a dominant player. In a weird way it really doesn't seem that most of the time it is a matter of Roger struggling, but it has become clear that for awhile he has not been able to command a match as he did so skillfully in the peak of his dominance.

And then...

I watched him play last night. Juan Monaco had the unfortunate mischance of playing Federer on a night where he clearly asserted his dominance as if it were three years ago. Almost every point was dominated by Federer. He served four aces in a row to win one game. His backhand was out of this world again, and it seemed that Monaco could never pass Federer if he came to the net.

I remarked earlier that night to a friend that I don't like that tennis broadcasts do not comment during the rallies. I miss a great play-by-play announcer who can help artfully craft the drama of the moment. I miss the growing anticipation as the point seems to sway in favor of one player, and the alternating growth of a miraculous comeback. And yet, when Roger Federer was playing last night, I didn't need that commentator. You could see and feel the dominance through the TV. You could feel the aggression of Roger dominating his opponent when he would whiz a backhand down the line. There was ZERO competitive tension in this match. Monaco was overmatched from the word go. But you could still feel the electricity of the match because you knew that you were seeing one of the best at his best.

I don't know whether this is a stepping stone for Roger to bring back the magic for the rest of the US Open, or whether this was just lightning in a bottle. But I can tell you that it was well worth watching that lightning strike. It could not have been clearer last night that Roger absolutely belongs in the conversation as the greatest player to ever play the game, and why for two years I never missed a grand slam final that he played in. He really is that fun to watch.