Tennis Prose




Mar/19

18

Federer 6 pm practice Miami Open

Roger Federer arrives at 6:12 to hit with Marton Fucsovics who was on time. The crowd of a few hundred stand and cheer but only lightly, respectfully. Fed bows his head bashfully then quick chats at net with Marton then they start hitting from baseline.

No Ljubicic or Luthi, just the bald guy who I dont know his name but we see him on TV always. Fed is smooth and loose, still effortless after all these years. Luthi arrives at 6:24 and shakes hands with Robby Federer who is in the photo pit about 5 feet from his son watching intently.

6:26 Roger sits for a break with his team. They chat and look around. Checking out the stadium. Roger gets up to resume hitting, Marton follows. Now they do forehand crosscourts. Robby Fed puts shades on but there’s no sun. Luthi carries a racquet and stands ten feet from Roger. The racquet is a useless prop.

Roger and Sev chat a little. The crowd is silent but growing. Total silence except for some minor vent noise.

Fucsovics is big, strong but stiffer than the elegant king. At 6:33 they switch to backhand crosscourts. Fed bounces, lots of leg bounce. Fucsovics has Djokovic’s old physio with him.

6:37 another non verbal initiated break. Roger drinks Aquafina and crosses his leg. He talks, they listen. Bald guy pucks up empty bottle, crushes it and puts in garbage. They switch sides now for volleys.

Federer looks like he could play forever. He’s not lost an iota of love of playing. Maybe it’s his love of tennis that is the most special aspect of it all. What could he do other than play tennis?

The crowd lightly applauds a touch volley. It sounds like an opera applause.

Break at 6:48 after both do volleys and overheads. Fed alone at bench, bald guy stands away this time, he yawns. Luthi at net, looks at phone in his pocket. Fed and Marton chat at net. They are friendly. They decide on something. Serves. Robby Fed is looking at his phone now. Maybe hes reading tennis-prose.com?

I’ve seen Federer play hundreds of times but it never gets old. The ease and elegance might transmute into my body I hope? Excellence is inspiring but Federer is the ultimate excellence.

Federer keeps looking up and around. This must be his first time playing in a stadium inside a football stadium. The views are stunning and strange.

Fed hits a backhand return up the line in ad court, he shakes his racquet subtly, he likes that one. He never looks uncomfortable on court. There he flicked a two hander up the line off Marton’s return. Then a couple of leisurely drop volleys. Hes doing a lot of ad court serves.

Robby Fed leaves at 7:03 and gives bald guy a mysterious pink bag which he transports to Rogers bench side. What is in that bag?

Break 7:05. Now Marton is at Fed bench. Huddle of five. Again they agree on a game. Fed to serve. No, it’s more forehand cross. Nope, Marton wants side to side. From Fed at his forehand corner.

What is in that pink bag?

Roger asks, More? Yes. Marton wants more side to side. Roger obliges.

Roger wants more backhands, he does slices and top. Robby has returned sans sunglasses.

Roger is alternating slices and top. Now inside out forehands. Break at 7:14. Bald guy gives Roger yellow energy drink, shakes it for him too. End of practice at 7:16.

Roger agrees and takes pic with Marton then signs for fans. Just another day in the world of Roger Federer.

No tags

9 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 18, 2019 at 11:08 pm

    The new site is very different than crandon park. It’s spread out and you have to do some exploring to find your way into the new stadium which is in the football stadium. The site is huge. Lots of nice rest areas and things to see but there is a feel of temporary. But it’s nice. The crowd energy is less animated than key biscayne, less Latinos. I eat he’s Harrison get killed 6163 by Mike Ymer and two people next to me were sleeping. The crowd was not into the match at all. They gave Harrison no support no energy. Lloyd Harris looked devastating in crushing P opyrin 6462. Like top ten material. Sergi Bruguera is coaching Tsonga who beat Rosol. Sergio told me about his triple bagel of a French player at Roland Garros in 1993. Stay tuned for that tale.

  • catherine · March 19, 2019 at 3:14 am

    I know I’m not there and I’ll never be there but the new site sounds horrible. I wish they’d never left Key Biscayne. Tennis is getting too big. It’s an intimate sport.

  • George · March 19, 2019 at 3:35 am

    Heading to Miami to watch the men’s semis next week.

    Watching video of his practice and the venue does look temporary:

    https://youtu.be/-9sLnTuMnq0

  • Dan Markowitz · March 19, 2019 at 4:46 am

    Striking how much taller and sleeker Federer is than his dad. I’m sometimes amazed when I look at the father of a player to see he’s much shorter or squatter than the player. I know the mother’s involved too, but it sometimes feels like the just the act of becoming a tennis player, thins and stretches the player out.

    Moving to Flushing from Forest Hills seemed like a terrible move at the start, but it’s worked out fine. You have to let a new site create its own atmosphere. I didn’t like the Key Biscayne site. There was a lot of walking to do. The stadium was not a great viewing one and the courts were separated from one another so you could only watch one match at a time. I love at the US Open how they’ve made it possible to watch three courts at one time and the practice courts. It is nice when you’re in Miami though to be near or at least see the water like you had the chance to in Key Biscayne.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 19, 2019 at 8:23 am

    There is a lot of walking at this new venue. Very spread out. But it’s also good to explore. There was a record breaking day 1 crowd by 4000 yesterday with over 12,000 and it seemed not so full so this venue absorbs big crowds well. Plus there are a lot of shaded areas. Crandon park was old Yankee stadium, it will be difficult to let go. This event is taking on a new life new body, it will grow into a new being. Trust img to make it work. Osuigwe vs Mari Osaka today. But it’s raining now and it looks like a lot of rain today.

  • Thomas Tung · March 19, 2019 at 10:19 pm

    By “bald guy”, I’m guessing that it’s Pierre Paganini (Federer’s long-time physio)? Paganini photos below:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=pierre+paganini&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2jsXK04_hAhUION8KHV_yB9gQ_AUIDygC&biw=1707&bih=825

  • Hartt · March 20, 2019 at 7:34 am

    There is another bald guy, not Paganini, who travels with Fed and is in his player box at most matches, but I have never seen his name. Presumably he works as a trainer/physio.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 20, 2019 at 7:58 am

    He also brings Roger water and picks up balls. No other on court functions. Wonder why tv commentators never talk about his name or function. He’s a major member of team Federer. Fed never talks about him either.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 20, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    THomas, yes it’s Paganini, thank you for confirming.

<<

>>

Find it!

Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
To top