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The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer
La biografía más completa de uno de los mejores jugadores de tenis de nuestro tiempo
Roger Federer, si no el mejor jugador de esta era dorada del tenis masculino sin duda el que ha tenido un mayor impacto deportivo y mediático, está en el ocaso de su histórica carrera. A lo largo de estos años, ha cautivado a las audiencias por su gracia, tanto literal como figurativa, en la cancha, y por su inquebrantable simpatía en tiempos de escepticismo y negatividad. Pero detrás de esta elegante figura deportiva hay un ser humano con sus demonios y sus defectos, y ningún periodista lo conoce mejor ni está tan bien preparado para escribir este relato íntimo como Christopher Clarey, encargado de su cobertura en The New York Times y The International Herald Tribune durante más de dos décadas.
Roger Federer, si no el mejor jugador de esta era dorada del tenis masculino sin duda el que ha tenido un mayor impacto deportivo y mediático, está en el ocaso de su histórica carrera. A lo largo de estos años, ha cautivado a las audiencias por su gracia, tanto literal como figurativa, en la cancha, y por su inquebrantable simpatía en tiempos de escepticismo y negatividad. Pero detrás de esta elegante figura deportiva hay un ser humano con sus demonios y sus defectos, y ningún periodista lo conoce mejor ni está tan bien preparado para escribir este relato íntimo como Christopher Clarey, encargado de su cobertura en The New York Times y The International Herald Tribune durante más de dos décadas.
Hardcover
First published August 1, 2021
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About the author
Christopher Clarey
5 books31 followersChristopher Clarey has covered global sports for The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune for more than 30 years from bases in France, Spain and the United States. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on tennis and the Olympics, reporting from more than 100 Grand Slam tournaments and from seven Summer Olympics, seven Winter Olympics and nine world track and field championships. In 2021, Clarey’s in-depth biography of Roger Federer was published and became a New York Times bestseller and international success.
The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer was excerpted in The New York Times Magazine, the Times of London and the Sydney Morning Herald. It received favorable reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Australian, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, The Straits Times, The Hindu, Kirkus, Library Journal and others. Booklist gave it a starred review and named it one of the best 10 sports and recreation books of the year. The Times of London called it “certainly the best Federer biography yet published”. Corriere dello Sport in Italy called it a “monumental opera”.
The Master, also a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon in several categories and in several countries, is based on 20 years of interviews and travels following the Swiss champion and this golden age in men’s tennis. The publisher is Hachette Group’s “Twelve” in North America and John Murray in the U.K., India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sevnteen deals for foreign-language rights were secured, including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Russia, Spain and Taiwan.
Fluent in French and Spanish, Clarey has traveled in and reported from more than 70 countries on six continents. He has written for the Times since 1991. In 1998, he was named chief sports correspondent at the International Herald Tribune, which later became the International New York Times. He wrote a general sports column, “In the Arena”, for 16 years.
In 2018, Clarey received the Eugene L. Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a career prize awarded for “communicating honestly and critically about the game” and for “making a significant impact on the tennis world”. Previous winners include Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Clarey is also a past winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the breaking news category for coverage of South African runner Caster Semenya.
A former television commentator for Eurosport, Mr. Clarey has made regular appearances for more than 20 years on major international television and radio outlets. His Twitter account has been named one of 50 must-follows for tennis and the Olympics by Sports Illustrated and Eurosport. Clarey’s other areas of expertise include soccer and sailing: he has covered six World Cups and five America’s Cups. But he also has reported on nearly every major international sport, covering 21 British Opens, 10 Ryder Cups, eight world figure skating championships, the Super Bowl and the Rugby Union World Cup. He has written about everything from bullfighting to sepak takraw to the Inuit sport known as the knuckle hop.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Clarey grew up primarily in Washington D.C; Hawaii and Coronado, Calif.. He is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where he majored in English and History. While at Williams, he was a soccer goalkeeper, captain of the volleyball team and the No. 1 tennis player. He and his wife Virginie, proud parents of three multilingual daughters, are based in the Boston area and in Paris.
The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer was excerpted in The New York Times Magazine, the Times of London and the Sydney Morning Herald. It received favorable reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Australian, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, The Straits Times, The Hindu, Kirkus, Library Journal and others. Booklist gave it a starred review and named it one of the best 10 sports and recreation books of the year. The Times of London called it “certainly the best Federer biography yet published”. Corriere dello Sport in Italy called it a “monumental opera”.
The Master, also a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon in several categories and in several countries, is based on 20 years of interviews and travels following the Swiss champion and this golden age in men’s tennis. The publisher is Hachette Group’s “Twelve” in North America and John Murray in the U.K., India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sevnteen deals for foreign-language rights were secured, including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Russia, Spain and Taiwan.
Fluent in French and Spanish, Clarey has traveled in and reported from more than 70 countries on six continents. He has written for the Times since 1991. In 1998, he was named chief sports correspondent at the International Herald Tribune, which later became the International New York Times. He wrote a general sports column, “In the Arena”, for 16 years.
In 2018, Clarey received the Eugene L. Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a career prize awarded for “communicating honestly and critically about the game” and for “making a significant impact on the tennis world”. Previous winners include Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Clarey is also a past winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the breaking news category for coverage of South African runner Caster Semenya.
A former television commentator for Eurosport, Mr. Clarey has made regular appearances for more than 20 years on major international television and radio outlets. His Twitter account has been named one of 50 must-follows for tennis and the Olympics by Sports Illustrated and Eurosport. Clarey’s other areas of expertise include soccer and sailing: he has covered six World Cups and five America’s Cups. But he also has reported on nearly every major international sport, covering 21 British Opens, 10 Ryder Cups, eight world figure skating championships, the Super Bowl and the Rugby Union World Cup. He has written about everything from bullfighting to sepak takraw to the Inuit sport known as the knuckle hop.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Clarey grew up primarily in Washington D.C; Hawaii and Coronado, Calif.. He is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where he majored in English and History. While at Williams, he was a soccer goalkeeper, captain of the volleyball team and the No. 1 tennis player. He and his wife Virginie, proud parents of three multilingual daughters, are based in the Boston area and in Paris.
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September 24, 2021
This was a fantastic biography of Roger Federer and a (RF-centric) portrayal of a golden age of tennis. While it isn’t written in elegiac fashion, it’s hard not to fill with nostalgia while progressing through it, realizing that its publication very likely marks the end of one of sports’ most storied careers. I also really enjoyed the tone of Clarey’s reporting - it treated Federer as a real human, without failing to acknowledge the many ways in which he is truly extraordinary as an athlete and individual. And, the quality of the access Clarey got - to Federer as well as to tons of peers and tennis legends (including Sampras, Agassi, Roddick and others) who really help to situate his greatness in context - really stands out. I’d highly recommend this book to any serious tennis fan, as well as any sports fans looking to better understand the story of an athlete who truly transcended his sport.
I took away two major points about Federer and his career:
1. While perceptions and coverage of his game often use words like ‘effortless’, Clarey goes to great lengths to demonstrate exactly how much effort has gone into building the superstar athlete that is RF - behind the polished ease lies a ton of grit
2. As transcendent as Federer’s career has been, it’s important to remember where it fell short: he only truly dominated the sport for a less than two year period from 2004-2005, and some of his most memorable moments have come in painful defeats, making it easy to ask how much more could he have accomplished if a few things broke differently (the stat around Grand Slam matches lost while holding match point was striking)
Clarey also makes the argument (which formed the lede in a NYT Magazine excerpt of the book) that Federer’s brilliance lies not just in his tennis but in his business acumen - as he will end his career as one of only a handful of athletes to earn over $1bn over a playing career. This is all the more remarkable considering that tennis is a niche sport with shrinking popularity (a point Clarey returns to often - including citing a statistic that tennis accounts for only $350mm of Nike’s $50bn annual profit); Federer as a Swiss had to achieve much more than an athlete from the US or a more prominent nation to earn a given sum in endorsements; and Federer’s early career featured some episodes of mis-representation (including a stretch when his dad negotiated his deals). I enjoyed the discussion of Federer’s split with Nike and his ability to rescue the RF brand (which he explains his attachment to by comparing RF merchandise to soccer jerseys - the only personalized gear in the sport) while also investing in On Running to build a shoe he loved. Anecdotes on Federer’s natural people skills and extrovert energy - including his skill at working a room of sponsors or charitable donors - were also very enjoyable.
Some other points that stuck with me from the book:
-) Federer’s upbringing, shaped by multiple influences growing up and in tennis: Swiss German and South African heritage, polyglot background (English as first language, forced to learn French in middle school), coached by Swede and Australian (both of whom enforced egalitarian streaks native to their cultures that kept his ego checked). Clarey often notes Federer’s struggles with the mental side of the game - citing emotional breakdowns after losses as teenager that continued throughout his early adult life - and his ability to overcome them (partly owning to use of a sports psychologist). Despite these struggles, Federer seems to have always loved the game - so different from many a tormented star (such as Agassi). Federer played multiple sports as a kid (something he’s now known to advocate) - eventually choosing tennis over soccer (as he preferred the ability to control his own destiny, and was influenced by a coach who wouldn’t play him in soccer matches if he missed practice for tennis). He was also extremely fortunate to avoid serious injuries for much of his career - owing in part to early adoption of a regimen under fitness training Paganini, who eschewed traditional workouts in favor of short burst training, and likely preserved his body. Federer’s real maturation as a young tour pro was forced by the untimely death of coach Peter Carter and the way he had to absorb it.
-) Tennis influences: Federer idolized Sampras, Edberg, and other attacking players known for their movement. But he encountered similar difficulties - often being dismissed as not trying hard enough when unsuccessful. Yet the differences of style with Sampras are also important - I enjoyed the anecdote involving Sampras’s puzzlement that Federer beat him at Wimbledon with serve/volley then won multiple titles there with baseline play. As Federer explained to him, the game changed after Sampras - due to changing equipment and styles of play, leading to players volleying less, and playing different styles of attacking tennis, (serve and power forehand instead of serve and volley)
-) Nothing at the time was inevitable about his rise - he played several majors without advancing past a QF, when peers started to win quicker. Early rivalries with Hewitt (who started to win sooner but burnt out), and Safin (could have been a great rival) illustrate this evolution.
-) His era of pure dominance was briefer than it seems in retrospect - really just encompassing 2004 and the start of 2005, before the rise of Rafa. This humanized Federer - he never won too much in too dominant a way before facing an arch-rival.
-) Rafa/Fed rivalry - different from Fed/Sampras because Rafa was only a few years younger and hadn’t idolized Fed, nor was Fed the unquestioned future #1 during Rafa’s childhood. Lots of commonalities leading to mutual respect and a form of friendship - strong families, education by coaches with shortcomings as players, egalitarian streaks in coaching/upbringing, innovative fitness regimens, choosing tennis over soccer in similar fashion, respect for history of game. Clarey emphasizes Nadal’s love of process - not about kill but love of hunt; putting Fed on pedestal even while moving toward surpassing him (09 Aus).
-) Djokovic/Fed rivalry feels a lot less meaningful - and the same form of mutual respect that Fed and Rafa held never developed in this case. Instead we encounter a lot of frustration with Djokovic and his often reckless style of play (2011 US Open semi)
-) Great emphasis on Federer’s love of clay (the surface he grew up on in Basel) - and understanding of importance of winning French Open to his legacy. It made him genuinely different from other attacking players who had failed on clay. It was bad luck that he didn’t win more RG titles given for a ~5 year stretch he was the 2nd best clay player in the world, and would likely have won multiple titles if it weren’t for Nadal; and e never quite hit his stride on clay until after the rise of Rafa. I loved the account of the 09 French Open and what it meant to RF.
-) The chapter on RF’s relationship with Mirka and his family life was beautiful. I appreciated Clarey’s insights on just how unique RF’s family life was for a superstar athlete, and how much it supported him and made him stronger. Mirka comes off as a rock of a partner, who supported Roger through many tense moments and understood him in a way most tennis spouses never could. It’s also remarkable how long RF played tennis at a high level as a family man (compared to many of his peers), and did so by staying close to his family, taking them on the road and having them around all the time during tournaments
-) Federer’s renaissance in 2017-2018: it’s easy to forget how long a gap it was between 2012 and 2017, and how unlikely RF’s resurgence in 2017 really was. He and Nadal went from rivals dominating the sport, to aging stars trying to keep up with a growing pack (led by Djokovic and Murray). In 2017 the rivals slipped up - as Djokovic imploded (injuries and marital strife) while Murray’s injury trouble began right after reaching his peak - and RF was ready to capitalize. He also did so by reinventing parts of his game - improving his backhand, adding the SABRs, and generally playing increasingly attacking tennis to compensate for his reduced ability to move and sustain long rallies.
-) The accounts of some of the most epic matches (08 Wimbledon, 09 Wimbledon, 17 Australian, 19 Wimbledon) were tensely narrated and poignant (and for a Federer fan many were painful to relive). But I also appreciated that they were situated into the narrative without the entire book hinging on those moments. Rather than being the entire narrative, they serve as punctuation marks in the midst of a flowing and longer epic narrative.
I took away two major points about Federer and his career:
1. While perceptions and coverage of his game often use words like ‘effortless’, Clarey goes to great lengths to demonstrate exactly how much effort has gone into building the superstar athlete that is RF - behind the polished ease lies a ton of grit
2. As transcendent as Federer’s career has been, it’s important to remember where it fell short: he only truly dominated the sport for a less than two year period from 2004-2005, and some of his most memorable moments have come in painful defeats, making it easy to ask how much more could he have accomplished if a few things broke differently (the stat around Grand Slam matches lost while holding match point was striking)
Clarey also makes the argument (which formed the lede in a NYT Magazine excerpt of the book) that Federer’s brilliance lies not just in his tennis but in his business acumen - as he will end his career as one of only a handful of athletes to earn over $1bn over a playing career. This is all the more remarkable considering that tennis is a niche sport with shrinking popularity (a point Clarey returns to often - including citing a statistic that tennis accounts for only $350mm of Nike’s $50bn annual profit); Federer as a Swiss had to achieve much more than an athlete from the US or a more prominent nation to earn a given sum in endorsements; and Federer’s early career featured some episodes of mis-representation (including a stretch when his dad negotiated his deals). I enjoyed the discussion of Federer’s split with Nike and his ability to rescue the RF brand (which he explains his attachment to by comparing RF merchandise to soccer jerseys - the only personalized gear in the sport) while also investing in On Running to build a shoe he loved. Anecdotes on Federer’s natural people skills and extrovert energy - including his skill at working a room of sponsors or charitable donors - were also very enjoyable.
Some other points that stuck with me from the book:
-) Federer’s upbringing, shaped by multiple influences growing up and in tennis: Swiss German and South African heritage, polyglot background (English as first language, forced to learn French in middle school), coached by Swede and Australian (both of whom enforced egalitarian streaks native to their cultures that kept his ego checked). Clarey often notes Federer’s struggles with the mental side of the game - citing emotional breakdowns after losses as teenager that continued throughout his early adult life - and his ability to overcome them (partly owning to use of a sports psychologist). Despite these struggles, Federer seems to have always loved the game - so different from many a tormented star (such as Agassi). Federer played multiple sports as a kid (something he’s now known to advocate) - eventually choosing tennis over soccer (as he preferred the ability to control his own destiny, and was influenced by a coach who wouldn’t play him in soccer matches if he missed practice for tennis). He was also extremely fortunate to avoid serious injuries for much of his career - owing in part to early adoption of a regimen under fitness training Paganini, who eschewed traditional workouts in favor of short burst training, and likely preserved his body. Federer’s real maturation as a young tour pro was forced by the untimely death of coach Peter Carter and the way he had to absorb it.
-) Tennis influences: Federer idolized Sampras, Edberg, and other attacking players known for their movement. But he encountered similar difficulties - often being dismissed as not trying hard enough when unsuccessful. Yet the differences of style with Sampras are also important - I enjoyed the anecdote involving Sampras’s puzzlement that Federer beat him at Wimbledon with serve/volley then won multiple titles there with baseline play. As Federer explained to him, the game changed after Sampras - due to changing equipment and styles of play, leading to players volleying less, and playing different styles of attacking tennis, (serve and power forehand instead of serve and volley)
-) Nothing at the time was inevitable about his rise - he played several majors without advancing past a QF, when peers started to win quicker. Early rivalries with Hewitt (who started to win sooner but burnt out), and Safin (could have been a great rival) illustrate this evolution.
-) His era of pure dominance was briefer than it seems in retrospect - really just encompassing 2004 and the start of 2005, before the rise of Rafa. This humanized Federer - he never won too much in too dominant a way before facing an arch-rival.
-) Rafa/Fed rivalry - different from Fed/Sampras because Rafa was only a few years younger and hadn’t idolized Fed, nor was Fed the unquestioned future #1 during Rafa’s childhood. Lots of commonalities leading to mutual respect and a form of friendship - strong families, education by coaches with shortcomings as players, egalitarian streaks in coaching/upbringing, innovative fitness regimens, choosing tennis over soccer in similar fashion, respect for history of game. Clarey emphasizes Nadal’s love of process - not about kill but love of hunt; putting Fed on pedestal even while moving toward surpassing him (09 Aus).
-) Djokovic/Fed rivalry feels a lot less meaningful - and the same form of mutual respect that Fed and Rafa held never developed in this case. Instead we encounter a lot of frustration with Djokovic and his often reckless style of play (2011 US Open semi)
-) Great emphasis on Federer’s love of clay (the surface he grew up on in Basel) - and understanding of importance of winning French Open to his legacy. It made him genuinely different from other attacking players who had failed on clay. It was bad luck that he didn’t win more RG titles given for a ~5 year stretch he was the 2nd best clay player in the world, and would likely have won multiple titles if it weren’t for Nadal; and e never quite hit his stride on clay until after the rise of Rafa. I loved the account of the 09 French Open and what it meant to RF.
-) The chapter on RF’s relationship with Mirka and his family life was beautiful. I appreciated Clarey’s insights on just how unique RF’s family life was for a superstar athlete, and how much it supported him and made him stronger. Mirka comes off as a rock of a partner, who supported Roger through many tense moments and understood him in a way most tennis spouses never could. It’s also remarkable how long RF played tennis at a high level as a family man (compared to many of his peers), and did so by staying close to his family, taking them on the road and having them around all the time during tournaments
-) Federer’s renaissance in 2017-2018: it’s easy to forget how long a gap it was between 2012 and 2017, and how unlikely RF’s resurgence in 2017 really was. He and Nadal went from rivals dominating the sport, to aging stars trying to keep up with a growing pack (led by Djokovic and Murray). In 2017 the rivals slipped up - as Djokovic imploded (injuries and marital strife) while Murray’s injury trouble began right after reaching his peak - and RF was ready to capitalize. He also did so by reinventing parts of his game - improving his backhand, adding the SABRs, and generally playing increasingly attacking tennis to compensate for his reduced ability to move and sustain long rallies.
-) The accounts of some of the most epic matches (08 Wimbledon, 09 Wimbledon, 17 Australian, 19 Wimbledon) were tensely narrated and poignant (and for a Federer fan many were painful to relive). But I also appreciated that they were situated into the narrative without the entire book hinging on those moments. Rather than being the entire narrative, they serve as punctuation marks in the midst of a flowing and longer epic narrative.
August 3, 2021
The Master is an engaging and thrilling biography about one of the best tennis players to ever play the game. Christopher Clarey is both concise and intriguing with his balance of facts/stats and intimate conversations with Roger Federer.
I am a huge tennis fan and one of the most exciting players for me to watch is Roger Federer. This biography allows tennis fans like myself to get to know more about Roger's journey to becoming one of the greats.
Christopher Clarey starts at the beginning with his childhood. I learned that Roger almost pursued another sport, but fate had something else planned for him. The author uses interviews with Roger along with interviews with those closest to him to pen a wonderful and elegant story about mastering a sport and life.
Roger Federer's game is so fascinating because it always seems so effortless and Christopher handles this topic throughout the book. Some people and even players mention how his 'effortless' play could have been taken two ways. If he won, some would say that he is magnificent in his craft while others would claim Roger is lazy if he were to lose. I think this duality is an honest assumption that I too have thought a few times when I first started to follow his career. But the beauty of this book is that it helps you understand that this cool and calm personality of his takes training and hard work.
One of his childhood friends put it perfectly when he said this about Roger;
Not only do readers get an inside look at Roger's journey and life, but also get to see him as a husband, father, and entrepreneur. He is one of the top athletes and is also one of the highest-paid athletes too. That is not all due to his prize money from tournaments and Grand Slams. He is humble but also strives to be known for his business and philanthropy. He is a motivated person but this book highlights the influence his wife, Mirka has had and continues to have in his life both personally and professionally.
I give The Master 5 stars. It is a perfect read for tennis fans. It is nostalgic and made me excited while I read the book because I remember so many of the moments whether it was the long matches and rivalry with Nadal or his emotional postgame interviews. Roger is a master of tennis and his career and proved that you don't have to look or act a certain way on the court to get the job done. He has found his own recipe for success and longevity and that is astounding. Wonderful writing from one of the great tennis writers/ global sports columnists. He wrote this book just as Federer plays with grace, elegance, and control!
I am a huge tennis fan and one of the most exciting players for me to watch is Roger Federer. This biography allows tennis fans like myself to get to know more about Roger's journey to becoming one of the greats.
Christopher Clarey starts at the beginning with his childhood. I learned that Roger almost pursued another sport, but fate had something else planned for him. The author uses interviews with Roger along with interviews with those closest to him to pen a wonderful and elegant story about mastering a sport and life.
Roger Federer's game is so fascinating because it always seems so effortless and Christopher handles this topic throughout the book. Some people and even players mention how his 'effortless' play could have been taken two ways. If he won, some would say that he is magnificent in his craft while others would claim Roger is lazy if he were to lose. I think this duality is an honest assumption that I too have thought a few times when I first started to follow his career. But the beauty of this book is that it helps you understand that this cool and calm personality of his takes training and hard work.
One of his childhood friends put it perfectly when he said this about Roger;
"He always looks so smooth, so relaxed, but he knows how to suffer, to go through the pain, and not show it. "
Not only do readers get an inside look at Roger's journey and life, but also get to see him as a husband, father, and entrepreneur. He is one of the top athletes and is also one of the highest-paid athletes too. That is not all due to his prize money from tournaments and Grand Slams. He is humble but also strives to be known for his business and philanthropy. He is a motivated person but this book highlights the influence his wife, Mirka has had and continues to have in his life both personally and professionally.
I give The Master 5 stars. It is a perfect read for tennis fans. It is nostalgic and made me excited while I read the book because I remember so many of the moments whether it was the long matches and rivalry with Nadal or his emotional postgame interviews. Roger is a master of tennis and his career and proved that you don't have to look or act a certain way on the court to get the job done. He has found his own recipe for success and longevity and that is astounding. Wonderful writing from one of the great tennis writers/ global sports columnists. He wrote this book just as Federer plays with grace, elegance, and control!
October 6, 2021
By far the worst book about Federer ever written in English (and I've read them all). Clarey has zero sense of what makes Federer special. He has no appreciation for what Federer represents. And he has no love for Federer's game.
There are pages and pages about boring financial deals that no tennis fan cares about. There are tedious interludes where he waxes poetic about his own journalistic travails. And there are lots of hideous metaphors and stupid assertions.
His subject is one of the greatest sportspeople to have ever lived, a tennis player who has inspired and thrilled like no other. And yet Clarey writes about him in the jaded tones of a reporter who doesn't really get what the fuss is about and kind of prefers other players anyway.
As a New York Times journo, Clarey has had incredible access to Federer over the years. But he's forever asking Federer insipid questions about his business interests and off-court matters. He never manages to elicit any fascinating insights about, you know, tennis. Which, when you consider how readily Federer goes full analytical tennis wonk, is quite an instinct for the dull that Clarey possesses.
As Clarey clearly thinks the subject of his biography is really nothing special, this book is a dubious, rather ugly attempt to cash in on the Federer market by a hack who would be just as happy churning out prose about literally any other player. In this regard, the tedious focus on business deals in the book rather reflects the author's own tawdry interests.
Federer fans should avoid this loveless, dreary, cynical book.
There are pages and pages about boring financial deals that no tennis fan cares about. There are tedious interludes where he waxes poetic about his own journalistic travails. And there are lots of hideous metaphors and stupid assertions.
His subject is one of the greatest sportspeople to have ever lived, a tennis player who has inspired and thrilled like no other. And yet Clarey writes about him in the jaded tones of a reporter who doesn't really get what the fuss is about and kind of prefers other players anyway.
As a New York Times journo, Clarey has had incredible access to Federer over the years. But he's forever asking Federer insipid questions about his business interests and off-court matters. He never manages to elicit any fascinating insights about, you know, tennis. Which, when you consider how readily Federer goes full analytical tennis wonk, is quite an instinct for the dull that Clarey possesses.
As Clarey clearly thinks the subject of his biography is really nothing special, this book is a dubious, rather ugly attempt to cash in on the Federer market by a hack who would be just as happy churning out prose about literally any other player. In this regard, the tedious focus on business deals in the book rather reflects the author's own tawdry interests.
Federer fans should avoid this loveless, dreary, cynical book.
September 19, 2022
Let me begin by saying for RF the book should have been a 3 but I have given 1 extra for the author in the way he made all others - players , coaches. History come alive and made them true characters in a book about Roger.
As you read you get to know the player but not the man . I loved the history , the context , the journey but I have not known the person , the struggles, the dilemma the hurt of the player or the man.
I loved to read about RF and his tennis and his career. I now believe he could have been greater player and even greater achiever . The book has many moments that reader will cherish .
I still feel Roger lost this slam in the semi’s. For me the winner still is open- book on Aggasi followed by Rafa- book on Nadal. Have not read novaks biography and it could be the wild card - who knows .
I hope Roger Peñs a book where in we get to know the man, why did he chose PL and PC or what he felt truly when he won and lost, why did the Nike deal actually not happen or his surgeries or his true feeling on reaching 15 and then 20th slams win.
Till then I will see his matches, miss him on the court and admire him from a distance.
Happy retirement champion. May the years be kind to you .
As you read you get to know the player but not the man . I loved the history , the context , the journey but I have not known the person , the struggles, the dilemma the hurt of the player or the man.
I loved to read about RF and his tennis and his career. I now believe he could have been greater player and even greater achiever . The book has many moments that reader will cherish .
I still feel Roger lost this slam in the semi’s. For me the winner still is open- book on Aggasi followed by Rafa- book on Nadal. Have not read novaks biography and it could be the wild card - who knows .
I hope Roger Peñs a book where in we get to know the man, why did he chose PL and PC or what he felt truly when he won and lost, why did the Nike deal actually not happen or his surgeries or his true feeling on reaching 15 and then 20th slams win.
Till then I will see his matches, miss him on the court and admire him from a distance.
Happy retirement champion. May the years be kind to you .
September 26, 2021
Clarey is great at explaining tennis, not so great at explaining Federer. Unless Federer really is as dull and self-centered as he comes across here? A sports biography without any drama or controversy isn't enough to hold my interest.
> It is hard not to see such moments as big positives for the man and player Federer would become. Rip the practice curtain in an act of petulance? Clean the courts and toilets at the crack of dawn. Disrespect a tournament and the sport with lack of effort? Face the fine and the backlash. These are the pivot points, like Robert Federer requiring his temperamental son to find his own ride home in Basel or, in a move that would certainly raise an eyebrow in some cultures, stopping the car and rubbing young Roger’s head in the snow to cool him off during one of his son’s post-tournament rants.
> Ultimately, the choice [left or right] was Rafael’s, and on such turning points does a great rivalry also depend. Nadal as a right-hander would surely have been a potential champion as well with his talent, character, and in-the-moment mentality. But he would not have posed such a tactical conundrum for Federer, who could have used his most reliable weapons—the inside-out forehand and short crosscourt backhand chip—much more effectively.
> It was harder for fans to grow weary of Federer winning titles, big or small, when Nadal had reminded them that winning was not a given
> Federer’s motto was: “It’s nice to be important but more important to be nice.” Nadal and his family subscribed to: “You are not special because of who you are but because of what you do.” Both were soccer fanatics who could have been professionals, and though both happily finished formal schooling at sixteen, they were curious about the wider world that they were now roaming in pursuit of tennis glory.
> one explanation for the dearth of topflight American men’s tennis players in the 2010s was that the Europeans had a developmental advantage growing up on clay. He maintained that too many young Americans were adept at striking the ball but not at playing the game itself. Clay was perhaps the best classroom, blunting raw power and encouraging point construction
> Federer versus Nadal has been the contemporary rivalry that attracted the most attention inside and outside tennis, but Djokovic versus Nadal has been the most contested, with Djokovic versus Federer close behind.
> Federer, in the relaxed atmosphere of a practice session, can be even more fun to watch than when he is swooping around the court when it counts. He is more animated and tries some outrageous shots: acutely angled sliced backhands off balls bouncing high above his head, full-cut forehand half volleys on the baseline, flicks from unlikely places and positions. The extraordinary SABR (“Sneak Attack by Roger”) in which he moved in quickly to return a serve straight off the bounce was, at first, an improvisational practice move.
> For a comparatively small international sport that allows only about two hundred men’s and women’s touring pros to make a good living, tennis has a surfeit of governing bodies: seven if you count the men’s tour, women’s tour, the International Tennis Federation, and the four Grand Slam tournaments, which often act in concert but remain independent entities. Reaching consensus is harder than it should be, and the fragmentation has made it harder for tennis to innovate and create meaningful change. It has held the sport back significantly. Every new event, every modification to the overstuffed schedule, trespasses on someone else’s turf. Federer and Godsick knew all this when they created the Laver Cup in Prague in 2017, and they understood it all the more when they committed to Chicago for the second Laver Cup in 2018
> the first tennis player and one of the few athletes to earn $1 billion during his playing career: joining the golfer Tiger Woods and the boxer Floyd Mayweather. Only about $130 million of Federer’s earnings has come from official prize money.
> Nike is closing in on annual revenue of $50 billion. “The tennis business is about $350 million, so you do the math,” Nakajima said. The rule of thumb, according to Nakajima, is not to spend more than 10 percent of revenue on athlete sponsorship.
> He had been away from his first tennis surface long enough to miss the sliding, the muffled bounce of the ball, and the rituals, like dragging a thick net across the clay to erase the marks and prepare it for the next players. Nadal often sweeps his own practice courts, too, and there is a certain humility in the gesture. It also never gets old to see superstars acting just like the rest of us. “Even Roger Federer cleans the clay,” said Toni Poltera, president of Tennisclub Felsberg, as he watched Federer at work. “This is why Roger is popular here. He’s not over the top. He has the human touch.”
> The five previous Matches for Africa had raised about $10 million for the foundation’s work, and the Cape Town match would raise about $3.5 million more. In total, according to Godsick, Federer had generated more than $50 million through the years for projects in Africa.
> It is hard not to see such moments as big positives for the man and player Federer would become. Rip the practice curtain in an act of petulance? Clean the courts and toilets at the crack of dawn. Disrespect a tournament and the sport with lack of effort? Face the fine and the backlash. These are the pivot points, like Robert Federer requiring his temperamental son to find his own ride home in Basel or, in a move that would certainly raise an eyebrow in some cultures, stopping the car and rubbing young Roger’s head in the snow to cool him off during one of his son’s post-tournament rants.
> Ultimately, the choice [left or right] was Rafael’s, and on such turning points does a great rivalry also depend. Nadal as a right-hander would surely have been a potential champion as well with his talent, character, and in-the-moment mentality. But he would not have posed such a tactical conundrum for Federer, who could have used his most reliable weapons—the inside-out forehand and short crosscourt backhand chip—much more effectively.
> It was harder for fans to grow weary of Federer winning titles, big or small, when Nadal had reminded them that winning was not a given
> Federer’s motto was: “It’s nice to be important but more important to be nice.” Nadal and his family subscribed to: “You are not special because of who you are but because of what you do.” Both were soccer fanatics who could have been professionals, and though both happily finished formal schooling at sixteen, they were curious about the wider world that they were now roaming in pursuit of tennis glory.
> one explanation for the dearth of topflight American men’s tennis players in the 2010s was that the Europeans had a developmental advantage growing up on clay. He maintained that too many young Americans were adept at striking the ball but not at playing the game itself. Clay was perhaps the best classroom, blunting raw power and encouraging point construction
> Federer versus Nadal has been the contemporary rivalry that attracted the most attention inside and outside tennis, but Djokovic versus Nadal has been the most contested, with Djokovic versus Federer close behind.
> Federer, in the relaxed atmosphere of a practice session, can be even more fun to watch than when he is swooping around the court when it counts. He is more animated and tries some outrageous shots: acutely angled sliced backhands off balls bouncing high above his head, full-cut forehand half volleys on the baseline, flicks from unlikely places and positions. The extraordinary SABR (“Sneak Attack by Roger”) in which he moved in quickly to return a serve straight off the bounce was, at first, an improvisational practice move.
> For a comparatively small international sport that allows only about two hundred men’s and women’s touring pros to make a good living, tennis has a surfeit of governing bodies: seven if you count the men’s tour, women’s tour, the International Tennis Federation, and the four Grand Slam tournaments, which often act in concert but remain independent entities. Reaching consensus is harder than it should be, and the fragmentation has made it harder for tennis to innovate and create meaningful change. It has held the sport back significantly. Every new event, every modification to the overstuffed schedule, trespasses on someone else’s turf. Federer and Godsick knew all this when they created the Laver Cup in Prague in 2017, and they understood it all the more when they committed to Chicago for the second Laver Cup in 2018
> the first tennis player and one of the few athletes to earn $1 billion during his playing career: joining the golfer Tiger Woods and the boxer Floyd Mayweather. Only about $130 million of Federer’s earnings has come from official prize money.
> Nike is closing in on annual revenue of $50 billion. “The tennis business is about $350 million, so you do the math,” Nakajima said. The rule of thumb, according to Nakajima, is not to spend more than 10 percent of revenue on athlete sponsorship.
> He had been away from his first tennis surface long enough to miss the sliding, the muffled bounce of the ball, and the rituals, like dragging a thick net across the clay to erase the marks and prepare it for the next players. Nadal often sweeps his own practice courts, too, and there is a certain humility in the gesture. It also never gets old to see superstars acting just like the rest of us. “Even Roger Federer cleans the clay,” said Toni Poltera, president of Tennisclub Felsberg, as he watched Federer at work. “This is why Roger is popular here. He’s not over the top. He has the human touch.”
> The five previous Matches for Africa had raised about $10 million for the foundation’s work, and the Cape Town match would raise about $3.5 million more. In total, according to Godsick, Federer had generated more than $50 million through the years for projects in Africa.
April 1, 2024
Trotz 450 Seiten eine kurzweilige Biografie, was vor allem an der Struktur liegt. Der Autor erzählt das Leben von Federer nicht stumpf nach, sondern beleuchtet es aus den interessantesten Perspektiven: Jugend, Training, Familie, Erfolge, Rivalen, Management, etc. Dabei schafft das Buch die richtige Mischung aus kritischer Distanz und recherchiertem Insiderwissen, sodass man abschließend tatsächlich das Gefühl hat einen der größten Sportler aller Zeiten (besser) zu verstehen.
September 3, 2021
i liked this book!! i love tennis and roger so i enjoyed all the tennis nerd stuff in here … the book can feel slow and quite long because there is so much unneeded information in here about other players, but overall i think this is a great book if you love tennis and/or roger federer
December 19, 2021
Did you have a crush on Andy Roddick and Marat Safin as a teen? Are you Team Roger (or Rafa or Novak)? Do you love tennis in general? Yes? You will also love this book.
December 17, 2024
Writing about God is a difficult task. How can you possibly write about perfection? How do you break them down into their components without losing the angel's share? Unfortunately, this book doesn't even come remotely close to doing the God of Tennis AKA Roger Federer justice.
The single biggest problem with this book is that its boring. I consider myself a reasonably avid Federer fan, I made the pilgrimages to watch him play and train at various tournaments, and stayed up late to watch him at the ones on the other side of the world. I'm definitely the target market for this book. Having followed Federer for his whole career, I know a little bit about him. I even read some of Clarey's articles on him when they were published at the time. I know about his wife and kids, his hotheaded childhood, his relationship with Peter Carter, his transformation into the coolest of cucumbers, his feeling of custodianship over the game. But anyone who'd followed a bit of tennis would know all of that. So when I'm reading a biography like this, I'm expecting a little bit more. Yes it's nice to relive some of the great moments even if Clarey's mechanical prose has the ability to drain most of the magic from some truly transcendent tennis. And yes it's nice to hear what other people have to say about Roger and his rise. But what we really want is to hear from God himself. We want to get inside the mind of one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. We want new angles that cut against the grain like a well placed Federer volley, instead, what we get is just platitudes.
The crux of the problem is that Clarey has been writing about Federer for 20 years, he's tracked him across the highs and lows, interviewed him probably more times than anyone else. But that was all in the past. What he didn't do was interview Roger specifically for this book, he also seemingly didn't get his blessing, which is why we've got a quote from Martina Navratilova on the front of the book rather than God himself. Now I'm not saying he needed to get Roger's blessing for this to be a great book but he definitely needed to do more than just cobble together the various articles he'd written over the years and then glue them together with quotes from other players.
Clarey says:
Another way of saying this is.
Clarey has committed the unforgivable crime of robbing Roger of the unparalleled beauty he possesses. As many players noted Federer's racquet is just an extension of his hand, but Federer himself really functions as an extension of the tennis court. He's one of the only players who makes it seem effortless and natural. Clarey goes to great pains to tell us how much work Federer put in and Federer himself wants to get that message across. But they still needed to examine what it is that makes watching Roger similar to watching an apex predator move gracefully through their natural environment.
Roger is also a force off court and while we do get a little bit about his business mogul side we mostly get this sort of thing from Clarey:
Unfortunately he forgets that his role as a journalist is to ask......... WHY???!!!
Another ignored trail of clues comes from a former fitness trainer of Federer who says that:
I've seen Federer break down in tears multiple times at various awards ceremonies, clearly none of them manufactured. So while there's absolutely merit to the trainer's statement there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. What were the pressures like for the God of Tennis? He easily filled the role as custodian of the game but was that because he was a natural or he was taught to do that? It's the perfect sort of thing for someone with some journalistic chops to explore. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean? Say no more.
There's a considerable amount of material devoted to Federer's rivals, Nadal, Djokovic, and Clarey actually leans on Andy Roddick the most (maybe he's the best talker or maybe he was the most willing to work with Clarey). It makes sense to dedicate time to Federer's great rivals because they defined him as a player and drove him to even greater achievements. At the same time it does feel a little odd reading a huge amount of content about someone the book isn't about. The best quote from Nadal is:
Anyone who has seen Nadal talks knows that should have a "no?" on the end of it.
There's a great observation from Severin Luthi, Roger's coach.
Man I wish Federer had have been asked his feelings about that.
From Agassi
Agassi also reminds us that Federer was the second best player on clay for nearly 10 years and if not for a certain fiesty Majorcan may have won a lot more French Opens. Roger grew up playing on clay and that's the source of another great point from Patrick McEnroe who was the director of player development at the USTA.
We did finally get an interesting insight into Federer late in the piece. When asked about how he felt that his records had been broken reasonably quickly after him creating them.
That's what we're here for. That's the stuff we want. There's also countless times where Clarey says Roger talked for hours about tennis with this or that person yet we don't get a single word of what he talks about when he talks tennis. Supposedly he watches hundreds of matches, as well as doing scouting footage etc, surely just some little titbit from one of those sessions?
Perhaps Roger's humility might mean we never truly get it but I have a feeling the definitive biography of Roger will come some day, it's definitely not this book. My hope is that one day Federer calls up J. R. Moehringer, who wrote Agassi's biography (the best sports biography of all time), and says "It's time."
The single biggest problem with this book is that its boring. I consider myself a reasonably avid Federer fan, I made the pilgrimages to watch him play and train at various tournaments, and stayed up late to watch him at the ones on the other side of the world. I'm definitely the target market for this book. Having followed Federer for his whole career, I know a little bit about him. I even read some of Clarey's articles on him when they were published at the time. I know about his wife and kids, his hotheaded childhood, his relationship with Peter Carter, his transformation into the coolest of cucumbers, his feeling of custodianship over the game. But anyone who'd followed a bit of tennis would know all of that. So when I'm reading a biography like this, I'm expecting a little bit more. Yes it's nice to relive some of the great moments even if Clarey's mechanical prose has the ability to drain most of the magic from some truly transcendent tennis. And yes it's nice to hear what other people have to say about Roger and his rise. But what we really want is to hear from God himself. We want to get inside the mind of one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. We want new angles that cut against the grain like a well placed Federer volley, instead, what we get is just platitudes.
The crux of the problem is that Clarey has been writing about Federer for 20 years, he's tracked him across the highs and lows, interviewed him probably more times than anyone else. But that was all in the past. What he didn't do was interview Roger specifically for this book, he also seemingly didn't get his blessing, which is why we've got a quote from Martina Navratilova on the front of the book rather than God himself. Now I'm not saying he needed to get Roger's blessing for this to be a great book but he definitely needed to do more than just cobble together the various articles he'd written over the years and then glue them together with quotes from other players.
Clarey says:
“This will not be a Federer encyclopedia. … Instead, this book aims to be episodic and interpretative, built with care around the places, people, and duels that have mattered most or symbolized most to Federer.”
Another way of saying this is.
This is a collection of articles I've written about Federer over the years padded out with quotes from the people he played.
Clarey has committed the unforgivable crime of robbing Roger of the unparalleled beauty he possesses. As many players noted Federer's racquet is just an extension of his hand, but Federer himself really functions as an extension of the tennis court. He's one of the only players who makes it seem effortless and natural. Clarey goes to great pains to tell us how much work Federer put in and Federer himself wants to get that message across. But they still needed to examine what it is that makes watching Roger similar to watching an apex predator move gracefully through their natural environment.
Roger is also a force off court and while we do get a little bit about his business mogul side we mostly get this sort of thing from Clarey:
Federer avoids politics, cultural rubbing points, and public score settling,”
Unfortunately he forgets that his role as a journalist is to ask......... WHY???!!!
Another ignored trail of clues comes from a former fitness trainer of Federer who says that:
“The Federer we see on court today is a manufactured product of Nike’s marketing that represents the values we want to give tennis.”
I've seen Federer break down in tears multiple times at various awards ceremonies, clearly none of them manufactured. So while there's absolutely merit to the trainer's statement there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. What were the pressures like for the God of Tennis? He easily filled the role as custodian of the game but was that because he was a natural or he was taught to do that? It's the perfect sort of thing for someone with some journalistic chops to explore. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean? Say no more.
There's a considerable amount of material devoted to Federer's rivals, Nadal, Djokovic, and Clarey actually leans on Andy Roddick the most (maybe he's the best talker or maybe he was the most willing to work with Clarey). It makes sense to dedicate time to Federer's great rivals because they defined him as a player and drove him to even greater achievements. At the same time it does feel a little odd reading a huge amount of content about someone the book isn't about. The best quote from Nadal is:
"Maybe I like more fighting to win than to win."
Anyone who has seen Nadal talks knows that should have a "no?" on the end of it.
There's a great observation from Severin Luthi, Roger's coach.
"People ask me sometimes, 'What can you possibly tell Roger? He knows everything already. But I realised over the years, he wants to hear it again, even if it's a small thing like stay lower to the ball. Because he says sometimes I also forget things or I just don't realise."
Man I wish Federer had have been asked his feelings about that.
From Agassi
"A lot of people say it's better to be lucky than good. I'd rather be Roger than lucky."
Agassi also reminds us that Federer was the second best player on clay for nearly 10 years and if not for a certain fiesty Majorcan may have won a lot more French Opens. Roger grew up playing on clay and that's the source of another great point from Patrick McEnroe who was the director of player development at the USTA.
"One explanation for the dearth of topflight American men’s tennis players in the 2010s was that the Europeans had a developmental advantage growing up on clay. He maintained that too many young Americans were adept at striking the ball but not at playing the game itself. Clay was perhaps the best classroom, blunting raw power and encouraging point construction, and it had other advantages. Perhaps one of the many reasons Federer was able to thrive on tour for more than twenty years was that he did not grind down his body as a youngster by playing most of his tennis on hard courts. Clay is generally easier on the joints."
We did finally get an interesting insight into Federer late in the piece. When asked about how he felt that his records had been broken reasonably quickly after him creating them.
"As much as I like the records, to break those or own them, I guess for me it's really the breaking part which is beautiful, not the owning part. Because no one can take away that moment. All the records are there to be broken anyway at one point, but that first moment when you take that step or that leap into that sphere where nobody has been before, that really is inspiring."
That's what we're here for. That's the stuff we want. There's also countless times where Clarey says Roger talked for hours about tennis with this or that person yet we don't get a single word of what he talks about when he talks tennis. Supposedly he watches hundreds of matches, as well as doing scouting footage etc, surely just some little titbit from one of those sessions?
Perhaps Roger's humility might mean we never truly get it but I have a feeling the definitive biography of Roger will come some day, it's definitely not this book. My hope is that one day Federer calls up J. R. Moehringer, who wrote Agassi's biography (the best sports biography of all time), and says "It's time."
July 25, 2023
Lite rolig men konstigt och ibland jobbig att läsa
December 31, 2021
I feel everyone should take my review with a pinch of salt, because it's me reading a biography about someone I know most things about and have read a lot of interviews and watched a lot of pressers of.
This will unlikely tell you anything new about Federer if you're even a casual fan. His career is not documented in much real detail and it spends a lot of time talking about the people who he interacted with more than Federer himself. It does not seem there were any additional interviews done with Federer to write this book, so most quotes are taken from old interviews and pressers.
It also spends almost entire chapters on Nadal and Djokovic, as well as long passages going through matches played in what seemed like unnecessary detail (mostly regarding Federer's losses). It is also probably hindered by the lack of perceived 'drama' that makes biographies like this interesting, as well as relying a lot on second hand information. For all the access Clarey has to Federer I didn't get the impression he thought he had particularly good insight into him, which is something for someone writing a biography.
This will unlikely tell you anything new about Federer if you're even a casual fan. His career is not documented in much real detail and it spends a lot of time talking about the people who he interacted with more than Federer himself. It does not seem there were any additional interviews done with Federer to write this book, so most quotes are taken from old interviews and pressers.
It also spends almost entire chapters on Nadal and Djokovic, as well as long passages going through matches played in what seemed like unnecessary detail (mostly regarding Federer's losses). It is also probably hindered by the lack of perceived 'drama' that makes biographies like this interesting, as well as relying a lot on second hand information. For all the access Clarey has to Federer I didn't get the impression he thought he had particularly good insight into him, which is something for someone writing a biography.
December 25, 2023
É inevitável a comparação com a biografia do Agassi. E, por isso, o livro perde pontos. É verdade que os dois tenistas nao apresentam histórias de vidas semelhantes e a do Agassi certamente é mais vibrante. Contudo, em vários trechos o livro foi muito chapa branca e/ou caderno de esportes, deixando de enfatizar bastidores e focando na descrição de jogos e pontos que qualquer pesquisa na internet daria um resultado melhor. O texto em si é correto e abrange quase toda a trajetória do Federer, mas achei que faltou mais tempero e menos idolatria à imagem dele.
September 1, 2022
Il s’agissait de la 1ère biographie que je lisais à vie et je n’ai vraiment pas été déçu. Ceci-dit, j’étais un peu vendu avant de débuter la lecture, étant un grand fan de tennis. Non seulement on apprend énormément sur la vie et le jeu de Federer, mais aussi sur plusieurs autres joueurs tels que Hewitt, Roddick, Nadal, Agassi, Sampras et Djokovic, ce qui rend la lecture encore plus intéressante. Petit bémol sur les nombreuses descriptions de match de tennis qui deviennent par moment un peu trop longues mais ce n’est pas assez désagréable pour enlever une étoile. Une biographie que je recommande à 100%!
Read
September 11, 2021For the entire length of his life - childhood, adolescence, adulthood - Roger Federer has only wanted to be one thing: a tennis star. He's never thought about anything else, never dreamed about anything else, never trained for anything else, never cared about anything else. That makes him, objectively, a sociopathically boring subject for a biography. Add to that the fact that Christopher Clarey's job as a tennis correspondent is in part to embroider how boring his subjects are and your hopes plummet for this book. Fortunately, another part of Clarey's job is to write entertaining prose, and he does that throughout this book. If you're not already a tennis fan, you're nevertheless going to feel like you're crawling through the Gobi Desert - but if you're not already a tennis fan, it's unlikely you'll be tackling this book, right? Here's my full review:
https://openlettersreview.com/posts/t...
https://openlettersreview.com/posts/t...
January 26, 2022
Perhaps I have too high expectations of tennis memoirs/ biographies since reading Andre Agassi’s Open, but I struggled to finish this book. It went into sprawling essays about single matches and was only sprinkled with insight into Federer the person. I probably liked the start of the book most, where I was introduced to the young Federer, his family, and his journey to professional tennis. Part of the problem may be that the Federers have a very tightly curated public image that the author didn’t have any proprietary access to bypass for this book (it was written from materials he collected over his decades as a journalist, often interviewing Federer).
September 25, 2021
Probably the best biography of Roger Federer that I have read - well researched, author interviewed Roger many many times over the years and he also interviewed many many other people on tour . The book just has depth as much as any biography can have . I also really like the voice.
October 6, 2025
Incredibly insightful look into not only Roger’s life but the relationships and the people who helped shape his legacy. I loved the snapshots in Nadal, Novak, Roddick and Safin’s lives, but perhaps most interesting was the learning about how his marriage made him so great on the court.
August 8, 2022
Goat book for a Goat.
February 17, 2022
Acredito que um dos principais ingredientes de uma boa biografia é fazer você sair dela com a sensação de que realmente não conhecia tão bem o biografado, obviamente desde que os fatos que suportem a construção dessas novas facetas pareçam críveis. Ao longo das páginas, fui descobrindo o lado mais rebelde / brincalhão / nem sempre vencedor do Federer e sendo convencido que o autor, com seus mais de 30 anos dedicados a cobertura de tênis e seus métodos de buscar sempre estar presente nos jogos e em atividades extra-jogos, realmente tinha lastro para falar desse outro lado do jogador.
Dito isso, as mais de 400 páginas são recheadas com alguns dos jogos mais épicos de suas carreiras (principalmente as derrotas doloridas em wimbledon 2008 e 2019), com as iniciativas do atleta em projetos sociais e ambições para sua aposentadoria, sua relação com os treinadores (e você entende porque ele trocava tanto de treinador) e até os motivos - além dos óbvios - dele estender a carreira até depois dos 40 anos em boa forma e motivado.
Enfim, um livro para amantes de esportes (não somente tênis), pessoas interessadas em conhecer mais a fundo verdadeiras lendas em suas áreas de atuação e amantes de boas histórias, porque nosso carismático biografado, não é a máquina de esmagar adversários que projeta para o mundo exterior...
Dito isso, as mais de 400 páginas são recheadas com alguns dos jogos mais épicos de suas carreiras (principalmente as derrotas doloridas em wimbledon 2008 e 2019), com as iniciativas do atleta em projetos sociais e ambições para sua aposentadoria, sua relação com os treinadores (e você entende porque ele trocava tanto de treinador) e até os motivos - além dos óbvios - dele estender a carreira até depois dos 40 anos em boa forma e motivado.
Enfim, um livro para amantes de esportes (não somente tênis), pessoas interessadas em conhecer mais a fundo verdadeiras lendas em suas áreas de atuação e amantes de boas histórias, porque nosso carismático biografado, não é a máquina de esmagar adversários que projeta para o mundo exterior...
July 27, 2025
I looked up best tennis biographies and this one topped the list so I gave it a try. Clarey followed Rogers career since his 1999 French Open debut and did a good job putting this book together. The book covered his childhood, big tournament wins, friendships with rivals, and all the different coaches he cultivated to improve his game on a world scale. I also really liked the chapters about the other big names in tennis including Rafa, Novak, Safin and Agassi. This is just an all around gold book for any tennis fan out there.
December 28, 2023
I’m a barely-watch-Wimbledon level of tennis fan and I loved this book. It captures the right balance of tennis history and insight into Federer the man, who is an incredibly likable and fascinating figure. His curiosity and generosity is a great example for everyone, celebrity or otherwise.
October 22, 2022
En tant qu’amateur de tennis depuis plus de 20 ans, depuis les débuts de carrière de Federer, ayant suivi toutes ses rivalités à travers les années; ce livre là est une bible qui nous amène dans les coulisses comme jamais on y a eu accès auparavant. Gros coup de cœur, très inspirant, à lire et à relire; du même calibre que le livre « Open » d’Andre Agassi.
May 29, 2025
The artistry and athleticism of one of the greatest to ever play the game of tennis, is brought to life in this terrific biography of Roger Federer. The Swiss tennis star's life, from his promising beginning as a young boy to the superstar and international icon that he has become, is written with thoroughness and authority by the longtime tennis sportswriter for the New York Times (Clarey has interviewed Federer numerous times in the past 3 decades). The extensively researched and fascinating chronology of Federer's tennis development and subsequent domination is interspersed with numerous quotes from his family, coaches and fellow tour players, past and present, giving perspective and nuance to Federer's life and place within the world of professional tennis. Though the author clearly holds Federer the man and player in high regard, his depiction of his subject's successes as well as his shortcomings, strike a perfect balance in making this global sports superstar all too human and therefore that much more admirable .
This engrossing biography of a living tennis legend has much to satisfy anyone who is a fan of the game, and especially of Mr. Federer himself.
This engrossing biography of a living tennis legend has much to satisfy anyone who is a fan of the game, and especially of Mr. Federer himself.
December 12, 2022
A very readable account of Federer's professional career and rivalries, ending with the "Match in Africa" in Feb 2020 which this reviewer actually attended with his wife, a Federer fanatic. I don't really have any quibbles but find it curious that when sports writers refer to the Big Four - Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray - they often refer to the trauma the Serb endured as a child when NATO was bombing Belgrade. But Murray also had a traumatic childhood event that Clarey does not even mention: he was nine years old when the Dunblane Primary School he attended in Scotland was the scene of UK's worst-ever mass shooting that left 16 of his classmates and a teacher dead. It just seems odd that when Djokovic's rough childhood is mentioned that sports writers almost never mention Murray's.
But this book is about Federer as an an avid tennis fan I certainly enjoyed it ...
But this book is about Federer as an an avid tennis fan I certainly enjoyed it ...
September 5, 2023
Muitos detalhes sobre algumas partidas deixam o livro um pouco maçante
December 24, 2021
I am so sad this book is over - it was a joy, and surprisingly kind of emotional to read. It was so fun to relive so many of the historic moments of Federer’s career (I remember exactly where I was and how I felt watching Wimbledon 2008, Australian 2017, Wimbledon 2019, etc.). And just amazing to hear the reflective and insightful commentary of Fed, his opponents, smart folks like Roddick and his coaches.
But more than anything this book really dives deep into what makes Fed a truly one-of-a-kind champion, and it’s not at all what you’d expect for a tennis player. Tennis is known as an insane grind - physically and equally, or more, mentally. Most players struggle mightily mentally, at least at some point in their career, and have a love-hate relationship with the sport. Many retire since they just can’t handle the pressure or lifestyle. This book is such a contrast to Agassi’s autobiography (also great). What makes Federer incredible is how laid-back, genuinely enthusiastic and grateful, objective, resilient and respectful he is (of the game, it’s history and his opponents). His love of the game, the tour, advancing the sport, the lifestyle - it’s so inspiring and has 100% driven his longevity. He’s my absolute fave but I’ve always found some of his post-match interviews a bit cringey since he seems arrogant, but this book made me realize he’s just completely objective and genuine - he doesn’t show false humility; if he’s played better than someone else or if he’s demonstrated superhuman timing/risk-taking/footwork, he’ll say it. But that also means that when he comments on the mastery of his opponents or tennis legends, he really means it, he’s not just trying to win points. You get the impression he is so comfortable with who he is, able to be fully present (also as a husband and dad which is admirable with his schedule), shake off defeats (of which he has truly had the most epic ones in the game) and keep playing without being the best anymore because he’s still one of the top players in history and why wouldn’t he keep doing something he loves? There are a lot of life lessons here - not just around preparation and surrounding yourself with an amazing partner and team that challenge you, but about being interested and curious in everything (his love of travel and seeing the world is awesome), choosing to take life seriously but lightly, and choosing to be positive and enjoy the ride.
How lucky are we to have witnessed this era in tennis? There will never be anything else like it.
But more than anything this book really dives deep into what makes Fed a truly one-of-a-kind champion, and it’s not at all what you’d expect for a tennis player. Tennis is known as an insane grind - physically and equally, or more, mentally. Most players struggle mightily mentally, at least at some point in their career, and have a love-hate relationship with the sport. Many retire since they just can’t handle the pressure or lifestyle. This book is such a contrast to Agassi’s autobiography (also great). What makes Federer incredible is how laid-back, genuinely enthusiastic and grateful, objective, resilient and respectful he is (of the game, it’s history and his opponents). His love of the game, the tour, advancing the sport, the lifestyle - it’s so inspiring and has 100% driven his longevity. He’s my absolute fave but I’ve always found some of his post-match interviews a bit cringey since he seems arrogant, but this book made me realize he’s just completely objective and genuine - he doesn’t show false humility; if he’s played better than someone else or if he’s demonstrated superhuman timing/risk-taking/footwork, he’ll say it. But that also means that when he comments on the mastery of his opponents or tennis legends, he really means it, he’s not just trying to win points. You get the impression he is so comfortable with who he is, able to be fully present (also as a husband and dad which is admirable with his schedule), shake off defeats (of which he has truly had the most epic ones in the game) and keep playing without being the best anymore because he’s still one of the top players in history and why wouldn’t he keep doing something he loves? There are a lot of life lessons here - not just around preparation and surrounding yourself with an amazing partner and team that challenge you, but about being interested and curious in everything (his love of travel and seeing the world is awesome), choosing to take life seriously but lightly, and choosing to be positive and enjoy the ride.
How lucky are we to have witnessed this era in tennis? There will never be anything else like it.
December 23, 2022
As a Roger Federer fan, this was a joy to read from start to end. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of tennis.
Clarey, being a journalist who had covered Roger since his grand debut in 1999 in the French Open, had many insights about Roger's game, personality and matches that were unknown to many.
What I enjoyed the most perhaps is seeing the other side of Federer, the side the media doesn't usually focus on as they are busy painting him as the elegant gentleman who plays and wins tennis matches so effortlessly.
Clarey humanizes Federer and shows us that the only reason he became the champion and global icon he is today is due to his relentless optimism, flexibility to always adapt, ability to suffer in silence and his and his team's foresight of planning out the longevity of his career.
It was also a great joy to get thoughts from his rivals like Nadal, Djokovic, Safin, and Agassi in the many interview excerpts. We get to see the similarities and differences in personality between Roger the pleaser, Rafa the fighter, and Novak the searcher, as Clarey describes them.
Memorable quotes:
"Stagnation is regression." - Federer
"We underestimate the work Roger has to do to get there because when we see Roger play, we see the artist who expresses himself. We almost forget that he has to work to get there, like watching a ballet dancer. You see the beauty, but you forget the work behind it. You have to work very, very hard to be that beautiful of a dancer." - Paganini
"I like more fighting to win, than to win" - Nadal
"joindre l'utile à l'agréable" which translates to combining business with pleasure but it is actually broader in scope, encompassing the tasks of daily life. If you're going to empty the dishwasher or stack the wood, find a way to make it novel and amusing. This has been a key element in Federer's career longevity. Too Much routine can kill the joy; too much constant focus can grind you down. Pierre Paganini, his intuitive fitness trainer, certainly understood this, but so did Mirka, who had learned through painful experience.
Clarey, being a journalist who had covered Roger since his grand debut in 1999 in the French Open, had many insights about Roger's game, personality and matches that were unknown to many.
What I enjoyed the most perhaps is seeing the other side of Federer, the side the media doesn't usually focus on as they are busy painting him as the elegant gentleman who plays and wins tennis matches so effortlessly.
Clarey humanizes Federer and shows us that the only reason he became the champion and global icon he is today is due to his relentless optimism, flexibility to always adapt, ability to suffer in silence and his and his team's foresight of planning out the longevity of his career.
It was also a great joy to get thoughts from his rivals like Nadal, Djokovic, Safin, and Agassi in the many interview excerpts. We get to see the similarities and differences in personality between Roger the pleaser, Rafa the fighter, and Novak the searcher, as Clarey describes them.
Memorable quotes:
"Stagnation is regression." - Federer
"We underestimate the work Roger has to do to get there because when we see Roger play, we see the artist who expresses himself. We almost forget that he has to work to get there, like watching a ballet dancer. You see the beauty, but you forget the work behind it. You have to work very, very hard to be that beautiful of a dancer." - Paganini
"I like more fighting to win, than to win" - Nadal
"joindre l'utile à l'agréable" which translates to combining business with pleasure but it is actually broader in scope, encompassing the tasks of daily life. If you're going to empty the dishwasher or stack the wood, find a way to make it novel and amusing. This has been a key element in Federer's career longevity. Too Much routine can kill the joy; too much constant focus can grind you down. Pierre Paganini, his intuitive fitness trainer, certainly understood this, but so did Mirka, who had learned through painful experience.
December 30, 2022
I don’t consider myself a huge fan of tennis, or for the matter of fact any particular sport.
I am mostly a passive observer of things that happen in the sports world and would get excited over certain games occasionally.
But , I do get obsessed with sports personalities sometimes. Then I would venture to learn more about the player and the sport he/she/they play.
I happened upon this biography just days after Roger Federer retired from playing professional tennis.
After watching his tear filled farewell at the Laver Cup event in September 2022, I wanted to read something other than a Wikipedia page on his Tennis career.
This biography penned by sports journalist Christopher Clarey provides us a complete picture of Roger Federer’s entry in to the world of tennis, his brilliance , endurance and staying power in the top ranks for nearly 20 years.
The added value of this book could be attributed to how the author gives a balanced account of each important match , by including the views and stats of Federer’s opponents.
While reading, I often found myself rewatching highlights of those epic matches like Wimbledon 2008/2009 and Australian Open 2017 on YouTube.
I found this to be an interesting and informative read, and I’m sure hard core Federer fans will positively love this.
I am mostly a passive observer of things that happen in the sports world and would get excited over certain games occasionally.
But , I do get obsessed with sports personalities sometimes. Then I would venture to learn more about the player and the sport he/she/they play.
I happened upon this biography just days after Roger Federer retired from playing professional tennis.
After watching his tear filled farewell at the Laver Cup event in September 2022, I wanted to read something other than a Wikipedia page on his Tennis career.
This biography penned by sports journalist Christopher Clarey provides us a complete picture of Roger Federer’s entry in to the world of tennis, his brilliance , endurance and staying power in the top ranks for nearly 20 years.
The added value of this book could be attributed to how the author gives a balanced account of each important match , by including the views and stats of Federer’s opponents.
While reading, I often found myself rewatching highlights of those epic matches like Wimbledon 2008/2009 and Australian Open 2017 on YouTube.
I found this to be an interesting and informative read, and I’m sure hard core Federer fans will positively love this.
October 22, 2025
I was already a Federer fan but knew little about him personally. This book increased my regard for him considerably. What I learned about his personal story and the way he conducts himself on and off the court made me admire him more; he is a real role model. He is a complete player, whose quickness distinguishes his game. One of the primary reasons behind his career longevity is his abiilty to keep things fresh and variable and the genuine interest he takes in the game of tennis. He literally gets energized by the game and the associated travel and publicity. He takes his family with him to most of his events and makes it a wholistic outing for his entire crew. The seemly contradictory phrases of "explosive endurance" and "pragmatic optimism" were both really insightful. The book also provided brief biographies of both Nadal and Djokivic, which were great. I though the book dragged a little in parts - there are only so many ways to verbally describe a great tennis match.
November 19, 2021
Author’s long professional relationship with Federer coupled with his extensive experience covering tennis at the higher levels of play allows him to deliver much insight into the person behind the icon. Good coverage of other leading tennis pros (mainly Sampras, Roddick, Nadal and Djokovic) and their sporting engagement with Federer as well. Probs only a book fans of the game will enjoy, though.
I don’t play tennis but do enjoy watching the big four tournaments. The psychological aspect of the sport fascinates me more than the physical. Like golf, you gotta play well or you don’t get paid. No guaranteed contracts. That’s some serious pressure.
I don’t play tennis but do enjoy watching the big four tournaments. The psychological aspect of the sport fascinates me more than the physical. Like golf, you gotta play well or you don’t get paid. No guaranteed contracts. That’s some serious pressure.
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