Your Honour, my client, Mr. Roger Federer, is not guilty

People wonder why the French Open is said to be the toughest slam to win. Against popular belief, clay is not one of the toughest surfaces to play on. It is a surface which the majority of the draw feels comfortable playing on. It accommodates the style of play most European players grew up getting used to. It is better suited for the body, softer on the legs and more relaxing for movement. The violent heat of Australia, the winds of New York and the temperamental rains of London don’t rock Paris night in and night out. The conditions suit a majority of players as compared to just a few. This is what makes the tournament so tough. It brings out the best in so many. Let’s not forget that Paris hired a fire-breathing Spanish dragon called Rafael Nadal, guaranteed to singe the spin out of the rackets of so many, vanquished only once till date. His presence, along with all the factors mentioned above, has made this tournament what it is in the past few years.

Most tennis players aim to win one Slam through their careers. The feat in itself is of huge magnitude. To defeat player after player seven times before emerging the best in a draw where some of the fittest athletes from all over the world hack at each other’s throats with everything they’ve got, is a huge achievement. To do it seventeen times over ten years re-defines both the words ‘legend’ and ‘extraordinary’.

I say these words because we have now reached that point in tennis where a change in the status quo is imminent within the next two years. Every now and then, we have a spell where 3-4 particularly talented individuals dominate a sport, followed by a period where everything is up for grabs by everyone. Like Nostradamus felt reverberations in the world, any seasoned tennis observer can feel the same in our mini-universe.

Mr. Federer and Nadal have shotgunned so much silverware over the years that it seems ridiculous to keep asking them how they kept doing it. What would Mr. Federer say if a reporter asked him how he won at Wimbledon for a fifth time. It’s because he’s bloody good. Saying “I played well” is a euphemism for covering up how bad the others are comparatively. Top athletes are far too cultured to rave about their prowess and thus show the naked shortcomings of most other players. Ernests Gulbis fails to understand that. The 7,100 point difference between my client and Gulbis doesn’t need someone to scream “I’m a better player” to understand the difference in standard.

We’ve reached a point in our sport where observing and appreciating seems to be a much better option to supporting and criticising.

With that, the defense rests.