Leonardo DaVinci, the most prominent artist of the Renaissance Era, paints how Roger Federer plays tennis: every stroke is perfection and the end result is a masterpiece. In The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer, Christopher Clarey conveys just that.
Clarey is an American journalist who is a global sports columnist and tennis writer for The New York Times. Over his career, he has had the opportunity to interview Federer over twenty times and form a close relationship with the five-time number one athlete. Although there have been countless other biographies regarding Federer, this novel includes conversations and new insights on the man himself. Published in 2021, this recent work draws upon his countless interactions with the tennis legend and shines light on his journey to becoming one of the greatest players in history.
By focusing on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer’s career, this biography highlights the monumental factors that shaped his style, however, does not leave out his raw talent and hard-working mindset. Additionally, after experiencing an unfortunate and life-changing event in his early years, Federer received newfound determination to achieve what he was destined for. While his career took off in his youth, due to injuries and heartbreaking losses to new rivals, he began to succumb to Rafael Nadal and his dominance by 2010. Highlighting both the achievements and setbacks in Federer’s career, Clarey illustrates how his tolerance for nothing but the best led him to regain and hold his title as the “champion” for numerous decades.
After completing the book, its highly descriptive word choice allowed me to feel present during each of his matches as I could picture his brilliant technique and composed mindset. Additionally, I enjoyed how Clarey provided insight on Federer’s personal life as well, illustrating his empathetic personality and ability to balance both his family and career. It is interesting to see how this text also indirectly provides the reader with skills to prosper in their own sports career as well, proving that determination and humbleness contribute to future success. On the other hand, it is hard to completely understand Federer’s journey as there are many characters to keep track of and multiple are referred to in close proximity. Secondly, some ideas are repetitive and a flood of information regarding his achievements occasionally comes across as overwhelming. Despite this, I do agree with Clarey that Pierre Paganini is arguably the most influential person in Federer’s career as he not only had a long-term view of his health and path, but also allowed him to be quicker and more agile compared to his competition. Furthermore, by writing as if from the future, similar to Clarey, I also believe that a biography would be best after Federer’s career finishes. This would allow for more comparison over how his talent and personality on the court evolved over time. Similarly, doing so would provide appreciation for Federer's style in contrast to the youth today. When reflecting on Clarey’s work, I wish he could have provided more information surrounding his experience as a reporter on tour. Although it was minuscule, I found it beneficial to consider his own viewpoints and analysis regarding Federer’s career as it was more interesting than box scores and quotes from other characters.
Being a casual tennis player and avid sports fan, I found this book very intriguing and informative. Although it could have been more concise with its information, I was pleased to have obtained a firsthand experience on Roger Federer’s brilliant life, career, and personality. Although competitive tennis players will greatly enjoy this read, I recommended that others with little knowledge about the sport read this well-rounded and compelling story as well.
Comentarios