Tempered by the lineage of Zeus, Roger Federer’s career perfectly defines the athlete’s craft: passion, style, discipline, humility and chivalry.
The unmistakable figure of the tennis player, slender, elegant and elastic, looks longingly at the shadow of a veteran who could no longer stay by his side: going out on the court became a painful path for a 41-year-old man who had won everything.
Arriving at this stage of his life, where every point, set and match was an existential struggle, the best player in history decided to compete against himself: the old Federer found no rival more fearsome than the memory of the young Roger. When great athletes retire, a part of us goes with them, by saying goodbye, we realize that we grew old together; In sports we call that family: Federer was a brother, a son and an exemplary friend for all his fans.
Having a space in the memory of so many people is one of the greatest responsibilities in the career of an athlete, we call that type of inhabitants in our heads idols. But an absurd trend in the sports industry insists on recycling everything, including them.
The new generations of fans demand data to believe in the existence of heroes: how much he wins, how much he runs, how much he resists and how much the new number one in the world is worth, seems to be the only thing that matters. By confusing strength with greatness, we run the risk of measuring sport as an exercise, not a movement.
Federer always interpreted the rivalry with honor, promoting the pedagogical properties of the competition: watching him play, win or lose, we learned from life.
His legacy, an identity manual, will remain in the hands of teachers, coaches and parents who will turn to him when we have to tell a child who Roger Federer was: the gentleman who moved the world with a racket.
Jose Ramon Fernandez Gutierrez de Quevedo
