The King of Modesty (U.S. Open)
Before he won the U.S. Open, Roger Federer took plenty of opportunities to go on the record and predict himself to win. He did. This morning I read an article that called Roger Federer psychic, which is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard all week. Yes, I know it’s only Monday.
Psychic predictions, you see, are only impressive when they are improbable, which is the only thing Federer’s 12th Grand Slam title was not. In fact, there are now three things in this world a person can always count on: Death, Taxes, and Federer.
Without a doubt Federer is unstoppable, unbelievable, unmanageable, uncontrollable, unforgettable, uncanny, and other adjectives as well. But for me, the best thing about Federer is his attitude. Not only is he the best, the guy knows he’s the best.
Right before he walked onto the court, Federer said of Djokovic, “It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the final.” Smug. I love it.
In fact, now that Federer, only 26, is unquestionably going to blow Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major titles out of the water, I would like to see him blow his ego up even more. Not only would that be fun to watch, but since whomever is responsible for marketing the sport of tennis is obviously incompetent, it would be a great way to draw attention to the game.
All Federer has to do is keep winning, and keep talking. No problem. It’s going to be a long time and plenty of more titles before Federer crumbles.
“New guys challenging me — this is my biggest motivation out there,” Federer said. “Seeing them challenging me, and then beating them in the finals.”
Indeed.
–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

