Federer - still worth fearing obviously - Photo MandJ98 CCA
The art of the story about nothing is a very useful one for a journalist to learn. You’ll doubtless have seen “manager happy with win” types of article fill the pages of a website or the inches of a newspaper column. One would think that that the idea of news based on the things people say would depend on them saying the things that you do not expect them to say. Take the example of Guus Hiddink arriving at Chelsea, and various members of the team waxing lyrical about how good the training is - it’s self-evident that the players would be happy - that’s what they’re supposed to say. The news story only exists if the opposite is true.
Not that that has BBC finding a non-story today as the tennis tour moves to Europe and the clay courts. What’s the scoop?
Rivals still fearful of Federer
This may come as a revelation to those in the tennis world. Might we suggest an alternative headline to the above? How about Federer still absolutely amazing at tennis, but obviously a little less amazing than tennis than he was before, and while there used to be nobody in six billion people who was better than him, there’s now one, and a couple of guys who can beat him but who have achieved less in the last 12 months than he has. We’re prepared to sacrifice a dash of pithyness for a dollop of reality, but when you look at it like that, isn’t it clear that rivals should still be fearful of Federer? Let’s have a closer look at what some of those rivals have been quoted as saying in the article:
“He’s made a Grand Slam final and two Master Series semis,” said world number one Rafael Nadal.
“He won it all for four years and now he loses a few - he’s not in crisis,” said world number three Novak Djokovic.
“I did find it strange that he broke his racquet in Miami, he who always keeps calm. But these things happen when you are frustrated on the court,” added the Serbian.
Good calls from the numbers 1 and 3 in the world. Voices of reason - all the story needs is an intriguing but misleading fact to stir the pot a little further.
Federer, 27, has won 13 Grand Slam events but only one, last year’s US Open, out of the last six.
So 13 Grand Slam wins - that’s better than everyone except one man. Ever. That sounds impressive. And what about the second part of the statement - one Grand Slam in the last six attempts? Well, for one thing that’s patently untrue. He’s won two out of the last six, the US Open in 2007 and 2008. For another, in the four he didn’t win, his record is three finals and one semi-final. Nadal’s record in the slams in the same period is marginally better, but only marginally - three wins, two semi finals, and one fourth round. Federer may have yet to register a major tournament victory this year, and doubtless his aura of total invincibility has gone, but to say he’s anything less than one of the finest and most cutting opponents on a tennis court is both false and a waste of time. As is putting together an article which reaffirms that.
