Should sport be beautiful? Roger Federer won 20 grand slams. But it was the aesthetics of his game that left fans and rivals alike wondering if he had been ‘dropped by the tennis gods’.
‘Effortless’ star calls time 1500 matches on
Should sport be beautiful? Roger Federer won 20 grand slams. But it was the aesthetics of his game that left fans and rivals alike wondering if he had been 'dropped by the tennis gods'.
Roger Federer plays tennis with great skill and beauty.
This week, he retires after 24 years. In a goodbye message he says: "I love you and I will never leave you."
World No 1 Rafael Nadal says it is a "sad day" for sport. In 2003, Federer won his first trophy. His supporters say he has a perfect mix of talent and positivity.
He ranked No 1 for 237 weeks in a row, a world record. He won 103 titles. In 2017, he made a surprising comeback to become the oldest top-ranking player in history.
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova told Federer: "You have been a huge inspiration. Your elegance, your grace, your beautiful game."
He made tennis beautiful, say his fans. Sport is too like war: defeating rivals at any cost. Federer is different. He plays tennis like a dancer, not a warrior. His tennis "feels perfected and free", says dance critic Sarah L Kaufman.
The American football coach Vince Lombardi said: "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Research shows winning at sport releases pleasure hormonesChemicals created inside living creatures. They are used to send messages from one part of the body to another. in our bodies.
Federer "made tennis look effortless, but it was not," says sports writer Tumaini Carayol. Behind the beauty is hard work and determination. These are the skills that make greatness.
The president of the International Tennis Federation says Federer is "certainly the greatest player of all time". The tennis world argues about who is the GOATThe unofficial title, Greatest of All Time, was first used to describe the boxer, Muhammad Ali. It was made famous by LL Cool J and his 2000 album of the same name., but there is no official way of deciding.
Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have each respectively won more grand slams. But Federer is great because he is a "gentleman", writes Tumaini Carayol. He treats everyone with patience, kindness and respect.
His motto is: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." This is not just about sport but what matters most in life: effort, achievement or beauty.
Should sport be beautiful?
Yes: Sport is an escape from our normal lives. It shows us what humans can do. Like great music and poetry, the best sport is beautiful.
No: We worry too much about how things look. Sport is not skin deep. It needs years of training and a cool head. It is the ultimate test of human character.
Or... Everyone sees beauty differently. Winning is beautiful if you want to win, and determination is graceful if you admire hard work. So sport reflects what we find attractive in life.
Keywords
Hormones - Chemicals created inside living creatures. They are used to send messages from one part of the body to another.
GOAT - The unofficial title, Greatest of All Time, was first used to describe the boxer, Muhammad Ali. It was made famous by LL Cool J and his 2000 album of the same name.
‘Effortless’ star calls time 1500 matches on
Glossary
Hormones - Chemicals created inside living creatures. They are used to send messages from one part of the body to another.
GOAT - The unofficial title, Greatest of All Time, was first used to describe the boxer, Muhammad Ali. It was made famous by LL Cool J and his 2000 album of the same name.