2003 Wimbledon final.
written: 1:06 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008

I finally got round to watching Roger's first grand slam victory - at Wimbledon in 2003, no less. He looked so much younger even though it was only five years ago: he had his long hair tied up in a small ponytail, and his bandanna actually pushed his hair all the way back. He also had a bit of a moustache which made him look like a young boy trying to play grown-up even though he was already 21 when he played that match.

Anyway, the first set ended in a tie-break that Roger clinched with Mark Philippousis hitting a return wide. There were almost no rallies with the points kept short by aces and many, many serve-and volleys and many, many, many more volleys. The only rally that occurred was during the tie-break, when Roger hit a second serve which was soon put in play. That was also the high point of the set. Mark P. hit a forehand to the far end of Roger's court, and Roger scampered back so quickly to hit it, and two more strokes later Roger clinched it with a forehand fired down the line. It was the only point I rewound to watch. And um, after the fist pump, Roger immediately fixed his hair. HAHAHA.

For a Federer First Grand Slam victory, it's pretty boring so far. The downside about watching players who serve big is that the points are so short that it gets really boring to watch, because after a while you're watching the players walk from one service end to another. In one game Roger served four straight aces - which was great, of course, but only because it was Roger. Otherwise, it would've been really, really boring.

Roger dominated more in the second, breaking Mark P. immediately in the opening service game. Roger hit his first double fault when serving for the set at 5-2, but thankfully recovered in time to win it. Mark P. wasn't very good at long rallies; hence the serve-and-volleys to keep the points short and easy. Too bad for him that Roger's passing shots - forehand, backhand - were totally spot-on because those volleys that Mark P. wanted to be winners were totally not.

Third set went to a tie-break; Mark P. volleyed better (or Roger returned worse?), and Roger held on tight to his serve. In fact, the closest Mark P. got to breaking Roger's serve was to push a Roger service game to a deuce.

And of course, Roger won - fell to his knees, covered his face, then held up both arms, then cried his eyes out after the handshake with the opponent and the umpire on the sidelines. Before this win, he had the dubious distinction of being the best player without a grand slam title; after this win, everything was set in motion, and he became who he is today.

Oh I love him so much. I'm reading the Federer biography I bought months ago now, and although it's not as comprehensive and in-depth as I thought it'd be, it's interesting reading about his many losses before this decisive victory - how he made 83 unforced errors in a losing match, how he was fined $100 at some unknown tournament after losing to Agassi in Basel in like 2000 or 1998 or something like that because he played nonchalantly and violated the "best effort" rule, how he had nerves and second-guessed himself at the first round of the 2002 (I think) French Open and suffered a humiliating defeat against an unknown player, ranked much lower than him. All these things about his rise to the top, the many obstacles he had to overcome, the setbacks he faced - they make him so, so human. And I find it endlessly fascinating.

I'm going to read the book now!

*

Eye update: Still fucked. I can still see a bit of a lump and some swelling. Argh. I seriously am not leaving the house until the doctor's appointment on Thursday, save for the dinner at my grandma's Saturday night...which I can't get out of. 'Cause it's my grandma. And it's been a long time coming. Anyway, I'd be in the car so no exposure to the general bacteria of the outdoors.

I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.

before sunrise // before sunset


Previously:
- - Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017
I'm moving. - Sunday, Jul. 11, 2010
In all honesty - Tuesday, Jul. 06, 2010
What I want for my birthday... - Sunday, Jul. 04, 2010
On Roger's behalf. - Friday, Jul. 02, 2010