Credit: Marianne Bevis.

As a tactician, Federer only gets better with age.

Everyone loves Federer's backhand, his serve, his panache, but what about his mind? "We talk a lot about Federer the artist," Steve Tignor writes. "Federer the athlete and Federer the denier of Father Time, but behind them all is Federer the tactician."

Too bad it was Federer's old "crybaby" buddy Stan Wawrinka, a fellow Swiss, who had to suffer a loss in this year's semifinals for Roger to resume his rivalry with Rafa. Here's a photo from the days when Stan was a ruddy little kid and meathead Fed hadn't become best friends with Anna Wintour yet.

Jan 27, 2017

When I was younger I almost felt like the happiness in the family depended on how I was doing in tennis and it probably did a little bit and that was the sad reality of it.

This quote not withstanding, here's a fun long read for your weekend lazing around: Sam Riches follows up with Michael Joyce, the journeyman profiled by David Foster Wallace, who's now a successful coach.
↩︎ Racquet
Jan 27, 2017

Tennis fans just got the weekend they've been dreaming about.

In a time of political darkness, how about some nostalgia for the weekend? On Saturday, the Williams sisters will duel in Australia for the first time in a final match since Wimbledon, 2009, and then Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play for the men's trophy on Sunday, reviving the renaissance in their first Grand Slam final since the 2011 French Open.

All four players are over 30, all have dealt with injury and sickness, none had an easy path this year in Melbourne (well, maybe Serena, a little) to reach the final, and all seem to be treating it the way the fans view it: lucky as hell.

Jan 27, 2017
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